Water: The Pulsating Jugular Vein Of The Middle East

Water is central to the production and preservation of a host of benefits and services for people apart from playing a critical role in climate change, serving as the crucial link between the climate system, human society, and the environment. 

What makes water in the MENA region so critically important is that it is a finite and irreplaceable resource only renewable if well managed. According to global trends, two-thirds of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed countries by 2025.

Hence it leaves governments and private players alike with two options; the first is to find a better way to preserve fresh water, while the other is to find a way to make the salty seawater usable. To the south-west of Saudi Arabia near the Red Sea is the growing smart city of NEOM which is on its way to reaching its objective of no brine from seawater. This is no small feat as for no brine discharge the salt from seawater must be completely separated and obtained as a secondary and valuable product. The key is to ensure all elements of this seawater are usable and made valuable. To avoid a spike in CO2 emissions, the power source must be a combination of renewable energy systems (RES).

Should one read the official NEOM site it states that NEOM will meet all its water needs through desalination using revolutionary and sustainable technology, which is fully powered by renewable energy. High value chemicals and minerals for use in the industry will be extracted from the brine left behind by the desalination process and, in order to protect the marine ecosystem, we are committed to a Fully Integrated Resource Recovery Seawater Treatment (FIRRST) – a world first at this scale. 100% of wastewater will be recycled and used for irrigation. We are determined to recover all resources from wastewater and biosolids and harvest cellulose, nutrients, grit, and biogas. These will be used for landscaping, agriculture, construction, and offset energy needs.

Should this Arabian city be able to achieve this ambitious goal it will have rewritten a part of the history of renewable energy.

Next door Dubai is not far behind. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s research and development center has recently registered a new patent for an unmanned AI-powered aerial vehicle charging system using electromagnetic induction. The reason for such vehicles is for DEWA to ensure all its solar photovoltaic panels are performing well. UAVs save time and effort, increase productivity, and improve the accuracy of maintenance operations. The longer flying hours also come with a large storage capacity which helps facilitate the charging process. DEWA has also won the Guinness World Records title for the first 3D-printed laboratory in the world.

While technology is an important factor in realising the goals for the countries in the Middle East, ensuring that they are well-equipped not just on sunny days but on stormy ones as well is an entirely new dilemma that the MENA regions must face and mitigate.

Storm water management is the efficient drainage of stormwater through pipes that are further stored for further use post-treatment. However, taming storm water is not an easy task. For instance, in times of heavy rain, regular sewage systems and treatment plants are unable to contain the large volumes of wastewater they receive. On the other hand, dry weather conditions generally bring an overcapacity which means the system is oscillating between two extremes. Hence it has become imperative to install retention basins in a sewage collection system which evens out the system over time.

Carbon neutral technology is another factor that influences the maintenance of water. The demand for electricity and chemicals for operating treatment plants is slated to increase to meet the future water demands. With the help of water meters and sensors that measure leakages and warn on anomalies, the delivery of potable and potable water is possible.

Carbon dioxide emissions are not the only environmental issue to ponder; water has increasingly become an important environmental issue in terms of both the quality and quantity available which led to the need for “water neutrality.”  Water abstraction in a drier area or during a dry season has significantly more impact than when/where water is plentiful. . Businesses require a supply chain that creates their own distinct water footprint. Companies cannot directly control any random supply chain’s water footprint as opposed to their own operational water footprint. Since water neutrality entails reducing one’s water footprint, this is also something that is disturbing for businesses that may find the idea as a part or on the whole doubtful. Water neutrality is still an alien concept for most of the region.

When talking of wastewater processing & energy generation in the MENA region Jordan seems to have got it right. The As-Samra WWTP was built to improve the quality of water in the land as it treats wastewater released from the Zerqa river basin, which plays a significant part in the two most populated cities Greater Amman and Zerqa. 

The Zerqa river is known to drain its polluted water into King Talal Dam. Earlier the treated wastewater was directly used to provide irrigation water for the Jordan Valley, causing significant environmental and health concerns. The construction of Samra-WWTP has now helped citizens heave a sigh of relief.

Given the finite nature of water and given the growing issue of desertification and arid areas in the Middle East it becomes important to acknowledge the issue and find new ways to solve the issue of safe water for consumption and use.