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Across continents, competition over natural resources is intensifying, but no resource rivals the strategic weight of water. Unlike oil, gas, or minerals, water has no substitute. It cannot be transported cheaply across oceans, stored indefinitely, or replaced through innovation. It is local, immovable, and inseparable from geography, making it indispensable and politically sensitive.

 

Water sustains life, powers economies, and underpins food systems. Yet it also carries a destructive force. In Morocco, recent floods in Ksar El Kbir devastated neighborhoods, overwhelmed drainage systems, and disrupted livelihoods, illustrating how water’s abundance can quickly turn into disaster. Such extreme events highlight the dual nature of water: essential for survival, yet capable of catastrophic damage.

 

The more pressing threat, however, is gradual scarcity. Water stress reflects not only demographic growth but also changing lifestyles and consumption patterns. Shifts toward more calorie-dense and meat-heavy diets have dramatically increased the water footprint of food production.  The planet’s usable freshwater represents only a small fraction of total global water reserves. Meanwhile, population growth, urban expansion, and rising incomes have multiplied demand. Livestock production alone consumes exponentially more water than plant-based agriculture, placing immense strain on rivers and aquifers. Climate change compounds these pressures: altered rainfall patterns, shrinking glaciers that feed major river systems, and more frequent extreme weather events destabilize already fragile balances. A warming world paradoxically generates more water through storms and sea-level rise, while reducing reliable access to drinkable supplies.

 

Scarcity increasingly intersects with geopolitics. Transboundary rivers have become strategic leverage points, and dam construction has evolved into an instrument of statecraft. The case of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam illustrates this tension. For Ethiopia, the project embodies energy independence and economic transformation. For Egypt, whose survival depends heavily on the Nile, it represents existential vulnerability. Such dynamics reveal how water security quickly becomes a question of sovereignty.

 

Increasingly, countries are turning to desalination as a geopolitical tool. Coastal states with access to seawater can circumvent freshwater scarcity, giving them strategic leverage and energy dependency considerations. In the Middle East and North Africa, large-scale desalination projects redefine water independence. Morocco itself is expanding desalination capacity along its coasts to reduce reliance on erratic rainfall and aquifers.

 

The battle for water is not confined to arid regions. Industrial hubs increasingly factor water availability into decisions about where to locate factories, data centers, and power plants. Consumers in many countries already confront higher tariffs, declining quality, or intermittent supply. Although renewable in theory, water is finite in practice. Aquifers can be depleted faster than they recharge, rivers over-allocated, and pollution can render abundant reserves unusable.

 

Water policy today transcends engineering. It is about political priorities, economic models, and social equity. If oil once structured the architecture of global power, water will increasingly shape the architecture of survival. The contest over water is already unfolding. Whether it becomes a narrative of conflict or cooperation depends on choices made today, because water, unlike most resources, is not optional. It is the foundation of life itself.

SOLVING WATER CHALLENGES ACROSS MENA AND AFRICA

Solving the Water Crisis in the Middle East and North Africa

 

Ferid Belhaj

 

Water scarcity is one of the most critical challenges confronting the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, posing significant threats to economic stability, food security, and social cohesion. Of the world’s 17 most water-stressed countries, 12 are located within MENA, meaning the crisis is already shaping economic policies, political stability, and regional security frameworks. Water scarcity in the region is exacerbated by a confluence of factors, including climate change, rapid population growth, inefficient water management practices, and outdated governance structures... Read more

 

Systems Approach to Water Management

 

Rabi Mohtar

 

This policy brief introduces water management as a system of interactions between water and other vital resources including food, energy, and health among others; it presents several concepts to bring about policy coherence and quantitative protocols for a more cohesive implementation of policies and tradeoffs in the water sector and beyond... Read more

 

(FR) Tackling Water Scarcity in MENA: Why Institutions Hold the Key

 

Ahmed Ouhnini

 

The MENA region faces worsening water scarcity, with droughts and rising demand challenging supply-focused solutions. While desalination, wastewater reuse, and infrastructure help, losses, unsustainable groundwater use, and virtual water imports strain resources. Technological fixes alone are insufficient; institutional reforms, local empowerment, allocation rules, and trust-building are needed. Strengthened governance and cooperation are key to sustainable water management and long-term security... Read more

 

The Geopolitics of Seawater Desalination

 

Marc-Antoine Eyl-Mazzega, Élise Cassignol

 

Water desalination is emerging as a key solution to rising water stress caused by climate change, population growth, and intensive agriculture. Countries are rethinking water policies to ensure stability, resilience, and sovereignty, fueling a global boom in desalination technologies. While the Middle East currently leads, demand is growing worldwide, with major projects in Africa, Asia, the Americas, and island regions to secure reliable water supplies and support economic development... Read more

 

 

WATER POLICY IN MOROCCO

(FR) Between Drought and Floods: Leveraging Extremes for Agricultural Resilience

 

Fatima Ezzahra Mengoub

 

After more than seven years of drought, Morocco saw exceptionally heavy rainfall in winter 2025–2026, highlighting growing hydrological variability and a shift from chronic scarcity to intense, concentrated extremes. While hydraulic infrastructure mitigated major human and economic damage and significantly replenished water reserves, some agricultural areas experienced localized losses affecting crops, livestock, and supply chains. At the same time, improved groundwater recharge and dam levels create favorable conditions for upcoming seasons. These developments call for adapting the national water model to better manage excess rainfall and strengthen agricultural resilience amid increasing climate volatility... Read more

 

(FR) Desalination, Dams, and Water Highways: Morocco’s Key Tools Against Water Stress

 

Henri-Louis Védie

 

This study focuses on desalination, dams, and water highways in Morocco, key solutions promoted by His Majesty King Mohammed VI to address the country’s structural water stress. Analysis of existing and planned infrastructure shows that desalination and new dams will significantly increase water supply and storage, while water highways improve transport. Their diverse capacities and locations make them essential for water security, but the King also emphasizes the need to manage demand and reduce waste... Read more

 

 

(FR) Along the Water: Water Innovation in Morocco

 

Fatima Ezzahra Mengoub

 

Morocco faced one of its most severe droughts, highlighting the urgent need for effective water management. Regional disparities and climate variability make water resources scarce and unevenly distributed, challenging agriculture, the economy, and food security. Over decades, the government has implemented ambitious policies, including dam construction, irrigation modernization, desalination, and wastewater reuse, supported by legal and institutional reforms, to secure water supply and promote sustainable development. Despite these efforts, growing demand, climate change, and technological and financial constraints underscore the need for integrated, long-term water management strategies to ensure the country’s water security and resilience... Read more

 

(AR) Floods and Water Resource Management in Morocco

 

Abdel hafid Debagh

 

This episode examines the challenge of floods in Morocco amid climate change and the increasing intensity of extreme weather events. It highlights the difficulties of managing water resources, balancing risk prevention with ensuring water security. The discussion also explores public policies, proactive management mechanisms, and water-related infrastructure, while opening the conversation on ways to strengthen resilience and promote sustainable governance of Morocco’s water resources... Read more

 

 

MULTIMEDIA

Africafé : Conflict on the Nile? Why Ethiopia's Grand Renaissance Dam is so Contentious

 

This Africafé episode focuses on the inauguration of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and its regional impact. Experts highlight Ethiopia’s ambitions for energy and self-reliance, while Egypt and Sudan fear water shortages. The discussion stresses that cooperation and transparency are key to turning the GERD into a driver of regional integration rather than conflict... Watch

 

 

Water, Power and Risk: Securing Africa’s Critical Water Infrastructures

 

This podcast examines Africa’s growing water insecurity through the lens of infrastructure, governance, and climate risk. It highlights structural vulnerabilities in water systems, emphasizing the water–energy–food nexus, aging infrastructure, and weak institutional coordination. The discussion underscores the importance of science-based planning, digitalization, and data sovereignty as strategic priorities for strengthening water security and resilience across the continent... Listen

 

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