'Mideast is world’s riskiest region for water security'

David Rosenberg in the Jerusalem Post: The Middle East and North Africa have the world’s least secure water supplies, a danger that heightens political risk in an already volatile region and may even lead to higher oil prices in the future, according to a study released on Tuesday.

The Water Risk Index, developed by the British risk consultants Maplecroft, found that out of 18 countries around the world at “extreme risk” to their water security, 15 are in the Middle East. The list numbers several key oil exporters, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Algeria, whose water woes could have global implications.

The turmoil raging across the Middle East has been ascribed to a host of political and economic problems, among them inflation fanned by rising food and energy prices. Water hasn’t factored into the unrest, but experts have warned that the region’s lack of water, poor management and disputes over sharing resources may emerge as a new source of instability.

“The prevailing opinion is that water isn’t going to be a sole cause for civil unrest or international conflict” Tom Styles, an analyst with Maplecroft, told The Media Line. “But it could be a contributory factor to these sorts of situations, or the tipping point that causes a breakout.”

…The Maplecroft index measures a country’s population growth, reliance on external water supplies, intensity of water usage and effectiveness of government policy, among others. By that standard, Mauritania is at the greatest risk, followed by Kuwait, Jordan, Egypt and Israel….

The Jordan River defines the borders between Israel and Jordan, shot by David Bjorgen, Wikimedia Commons, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license