CIHEAM Press Review

With access to freshwater growing scarcer around the world due to climate change and mismanagement, reliance on groundwater sources is becoming more acute in many countries. In places where groundwater is heavily used, such as across much of the MENA region, available volumes are tapering off mainly due to years of over-extraction to meet ever-growing demand. The strain on water systems will peak by 2050 when the global population is expected to reach between 9.4 and 10.2 billion, a 22-34% increase.

Though water is central to our everyday lives and indeed life itself, we often mark World Water Day on March 22 not by reminding ourselves of all that water brings, but of the consequences of its absence or contamination.