UAE in 'Triangle of Thirst'

Arabian Gulf Business Insight reports the following.

The scale of the problem

It is estimated that around 2 to 3 billion people globally suffer from water scarcity, while water demand is increasing because of population growth, industrialisation and agriculture needs.

The UAE may face a $27 billion total GDP loss between 2022 and 2050 because of droughts, floods and storm conditions.

Ayesha Al Mar’ashi, executive director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, set up in the UAE a year ago, told a conference in Abu Dhabi this week that by 2050, water scarcity is expected to hit around 8 percent of the GDP of high-income countries and up to 15 percent of GDP for low and middle-income countries. 

The UAE is located in the middle of the “triangle of thirst”, which stretches from Gibraltar to Pakistan, to the Horn of Africa and Somalia, and is one of the most water-scarce countries in the world.

The country has built a large number of desalination plants to address the water demand of its growing population. However, its underground water levels are still falling.