World Water Day

  The Arab region is one of the most water-scarce regions globally, with 19 out of 22 Arab states meeting official definitions of water scarcity and 13 states meeting definitions of absolute water scarcity. Additional crises can exacerbate the water challenge in the region, including climate change, conflict, and socioeconomic and political upheaval. In 2017, the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and SocioEconomic Vulnerability in the Arab Region projected the duration and frequency of droughts in the region would increase. Women and girls frequently disproportionately shoulder the burden of these impacts because they may be vulnerable community members burdened by traditional gender roles. It has been estimated that 15% of schools in the Arab region have limited or no access to water, while 18% have limited or no access to basic sanitation services. In times of water scarcity or when WASH infrastructure is unavailable or insufficie...

 In the Arab region , nearly 86% of the population, or nearly 362 million people, live under conditions of water scarcity or absolute scarcity . Fourteen countries in the region use more than 100% of their available freshwater resources, which strains efforts to achieve the SDG Target 6.4 that aims to reduce the number of peoplefacing water stress (UNDESA). This scarcity has increased dependency on transboundary waters, non-renewable groundwater resources and non-conventional water resources. The use of treated wastewater has been expanding in the region. More than two thirds of collected wastewater in the Arab region is safely treated at the secondary or tertiary level . In most countries of the Arabian Peninsula, treated wastewater is used for greenbelts and nature reserves, and to combat land degradation (UNESCWA, 2017)