Water Pressure: Population Growth and the Middle Eastern and North African Water Crisis

1
Water Pressure Population Growth and the Middle
Eastern and North African Water Crisis

• By Ariella Kirtley
• Holly Niebergall Amy Schultz

2
Water scarcity an average total renewable fresh
water resource of less than 1,000 cubic
meters per person per year. Absolute
scarcity below 500 cubic meters per person per
year.
3
Management1

• Ancient Quanat in Iran 2
• Ataturk Dam in Turkey 3

1
4

• POPULATION4
• In 1960 , MENA's population was approximately 100
  million.
• By 2007 this number quadrupled to 432 million.
• Estimates expect the region's population to reach
  700 million by 2050.
• WATER SCARCITY1
• Water scarcity is estimated by looking at the
  population to water equation.
• Renewable water is defined as water in streams,
  aquifers, lakes, etc. that can be renewed over
  time by the water cycle of evaporation,
  accumulation and percipitation.
• According to the 2007 MENA Development Report,
  per capita renewable water resources in the
  region 1950 were 4,000 m3 per year.
• Currently, per capita renewable water resources
  are 1,100 m3 per year.
• Projections indicate that this number will reach
  550 m3 per person per year in 2050, compared to a
  global average of 8,900 m3 per person per year
  today and about 6,000 m3 per person per year in
  2050, when the worlds population is projected to
  reach more than 9 billion.

5

• MENAs life expectancy is increasing, and
  although fertility has started declining,
  statistics show that one in every three people
  living in the region is between ages 10 and 24
  4, creating a youth bulge.
• The following factors also contribute to
  increased population and therefore increased
  pressure on the regions already stressed water
  supply
• Urbanization and
• Migration.

2
2
6

• DESALINATION
• Desalination is the process of removing salt from
  seawater to make it potable, or fit for
  consumption.
• Thermal, or Distillation Process
• With the thermal process, seawater is heated and
  the steam is collected and condensed.
• Multi-Stage Flash (MFS)
• Multiple Effect (ME)
• Vapor Compression (VC)
• Membrane Process
• With the membrane process, seawater is filtered
  through a membrane which traps the salt.
• Electro Dialysis (ED)
• Reverse Osmosis (RO)

7

• DESALINATION ISSUES POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

8

• PRESENTATION SOURCES
• 1 MENA Development Report Making the Most of
  Scarcity Accountability for Better Water
  Management in the Middle East and North Africa.
  2007. Washington (DC) The International Bank for
  Reconstruction and Development. The World Bank.
• 2 http//www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Images2/Sasanian
  /Fire_Temples/Gor_Gor_Bridge.jpg
• 3 http//www.jica.go.jp/turkey/img/ataturkbaraj.
  jpg
• 4 Roudi-Fahimi F, Kent M. 2007. Challanges and
  Opportunities The Population of the Middle East
  and North Africa. Volume 63, No. 2. Population
  Reference Bureau. p. 5
• 5 Einav R, Harussi K, Perry D. 2002. The
  footprint of desalination processes on the
  environment. Desalination 152 (2002).
• 6 Khaydarov Rashid, Khaydarov Renat. Solar
  Powered Direct Osmosis Desalination.
  ScienceDirect Internet. 2007 cited 2007 Nov
  20. Volume 217, Issues 1-3, 5, Pages 225-232.
  Available from http//www.sciencedirect.com/.