Water is a scarce resource in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. It has been estimated that due to population growth, per capita water availability could fall by nearly 50 per cent by 2050. Further, if climate change continues as predicted, it would alter the weather and precipitation patterns. As a result, the MENA region is likely to experience frequent and severe droughts and floods. In 2002, the MENA region had 6.3 per cent of the world's population but only 1.4 per cent of the world's renewable fresh water. Population growth rates in the MENA region are currently around two per cent compared with a world average of 1.1 per cent. The United Nations has predicted that by 2025, 30 countries will face water scarcity, among which 18 countries will be located in the MENA region. Many countries are currently using excess water than what is available. For example, Bahrain used around 220 per cent, Saudi Arabia 943 per cent and Kuwait a staggering 2465 per cent of their available renewable water resources in 2011.
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