By Warda Musabbah Almenhali*
Human beings need water for agriculture, food production, and drinking, but the available water resources are scarce. Pollution threatens these resources, and overuse of groundwater leads to their depletion, causing land subsidence and depriving future generations of diverse water sources. These complexities can spark tensions and conflicts over access to drinking water.
With the global population increasing and freshwater levels declining, the problem of water scarcity worsens and is further exacerbated by reduced rainfall, climate change, and rising temperatures. While water covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, most of it is not suitable for drinking, farming, or other life activities. Only about 3% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, with the majority locked in glaciers and ice caps, and only less than 1% is accessible for daily human activities.
One solution lies in desalinating ocean and seawater to address water shortages. However, the cost is huge, which makes it challenging for many countries, particularly low-income countries in Africa, to establish desalination plants. Also, desalination requires environmental considerations, as the process of extracting salt from water is energy-intensive, which increases carbon dioxide emissions, which in turn contributes to water scarcity if we rely upon traditional energy sources in the process.
In regions where freshwater is scarce and drought levels are high, such as the Middle East, Africa, and the Mediterranean, desalination is critical. The Middle East and North Africa are among the most water-scarce areas in the world. As desalination technologies have advanced, the desalination industry has seen steady growth to address rising water scarcity by removing salt through either thermal distillation, which involves heating seawater and capturing the water vapor, or reverse osmosis, where water is forced through semi-permeable membranes; a more energy-efficient method.
Desalination is the solution to which countries of the Middle East and North Africa have resorted, accounting for half of the world’s desalinated water production. Leading the way in this solution are Saudi Arabia and the UAE to ensure sustainable water access. Desalination is a promising solution in the face of climate change, although other methods of obtaining freshwater, such as cloud seeding, extracting water from fog, towing icebergs to dry regions, or recycling water, exist. However, these methods are insufficient to meet global demand.
Without desalination plants, many countries cannot sustain themselves, given the declining rainfall. It is anticipated that technological advancements will further reduce the cost of water desalination in the near future, as costs have already dropped significantly in recent years. However, these costs remain high for low-income countries. The development of sustainable desalination technologies may be able to address the world’s water shortage.
It is important to create a supportive environment for scientific research to provide solutions to the worsening water deficit and develop new technologies for treating saline water. This would help reduce the pollution caused by desalination plants and safely dispose of brine to preserve marine ecosystems. The shift to renewable energy by developing desalination plants powered by solar or wind energy is also important, as desalination is an energy-intensive process. Using sustainable energy sources may be the best option and more cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Water scarcity has driven many countries to turn to seawater desalination and wastewater treatment to meet their human and agricultural needs. It is possible to build sustainable desalination plants that address global water scarcity without harming the environment. Combining renewable energy with improved technology makes desalination a sustainable solution.
International initiatives and private sector involvement, through investments or facilitating financing for building desalination plants in low-income countries, can help meet the demand for freshwater. However, the focus should not be limited to desalination alone. Water resource management must also emphasise the efficient use of water by improving agricultural irrigation practices, choosing foods and clothing that consume less water, and addressing water scarcity as part of the efforts to mitigate the impacts of climate change and achieve carbon neutrality as soon as possible.
*The author is the Director of Corporate Communications at TRENDS Research & Advisory