ABU DHABI Ñ Gulf Cooperation Council states are being urged to pour
massive investments in desalination projects.
A report by the Abu Dhabi-based Gulf Centre for Strategic Studies warns
that the six GCC states are rapidly losing their water reserves. The report
cites the growth of population and industry. The United Nations expects the
population of GCC countries to increase from the current 28 million to 40
million people in 2010.
The Gulf research institute said GCC members consume 15 billion cubic
meters of water above replenishable assets. The study said this gap could
widen to nearly 31 billion cubic meters annually in 2025.
"Unless the rate of depletion in ground water resources is reduced and
controlled, GCC countries could suffer from a total depletion in those
resources in the next 20 years," the report said. "This could be done
through rationalizing water consumption."
The study urged GCC states to embark on massive investment in
desalination as well as conservation. But the institute warned that
desalination is not a comprehensive solution given the instability in oil
prices and the drop in oil revenue.
The GCC has invested $40 billion in desalination since 1976. Gulf Arab
states account for nearly 60 percent of the world's water desalination
production.
"GCC have long realized the crucial water situation in their region and
embarked on expensive desalination plants as a solution to the problem," the
report said. "Now, in the absence of surplus funds, they need to invite the
private sector to tap its potential in future projects."
