Water Management in Africa and the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities

A water crisis is looming in Africa and the Middle East, where annual renewable freshwater available per person has declined by half since 1950, and continues to decline.

In this book, scientists take stock of the crisis, identify key issues and trends, and map out strategies for further research and action. They take a close look at the problems that beset different regions: from drought-prone East Africa to the Middle East — where water is a major factor in regional conflicts — to tropical areas — where water quality is a concern and water-borne diseases are endemic. They examine the roles of governments, international agencies, NGOs, and community organization, and look at the costs and effects of large-scale projects for irrigation and drinking water supply. Finally, they identify means to affect closer cooperation between governments and communities, and to bring more attention to water conservation, without which strategies to manage water in Africa and the Middle East will be neither sustainable nor equitable.

The contributors are, for the most part, scientists who live and work in Africa and the Middle East, and who deal on a daily basis with the water crisis in those regions of the world.

The editors

Eglal Rached is Regional Director of IDRC's Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa in Cairo, Egypt.

Eva Rathgeber is Regional Director of IDRC's Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya.

David Brooks is Senior Scientist at IDRC's headquarters in Ottawa, Canada.