| dc.description.abstract | Water scarcity is an ever-growing worldwide problem. In particular, most Fertile
Crescent (FC) countries (i.e., Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine and Israel) face severe
problems related to water scarcity. Growing demand for water resources due to increased
population and improved living standards, prompted public agencies and others in the
Fertile Crescent (FC), a semi-arid region, to seek better ways to manage water. Water
scarcity is the most serious natural constraint to the FC's economic grow-th and
development. Three potential paths to address water scarcity dilemma are ( 1) nontraditional
shifts in water reallocation, (2) innovative supply augmentation methods and (3)
identification of substitutes for water in production and consumption. Water reallocation
within uses (e.g., agriculture) and among users (e.g., agriculture, industry and municipal) as
well as supply augmentation (e.g., desalination, water importing, wastewater treatment,
recycling, water conservation, reducing evapotranspiration and storage) can all play a role
in extending water resources. A conceptual reallocation method and information from the
scientific literature suggest that some reallocation in the name of efficiency may be
beneficial. A conceptual supply augmentation method operationalized with secondary data
suggests water supply augmentation may also lead to decreasing water scarcity.
Ultimately, substitutes for water will be necessary to further minimize water scarcity.
These solutions, along with their economic, political, cultural, and technical dimensions
and constraints, are presented in a strategic plan format that identifies paths for increasing social benefit of the FC's water resources. The plan will assist decision-makers to identify
and understand the constraints and the benefits related to non-conventional options. The
plan posits a 20% shift in water from agriculture to municipal and industrial uses over the
next 20 years, assumes reasonable supply improvements and speculates about the role of
substitutes in the future. The plan further demonstrates a potential allocation of a
hypothetical $100 million grant to a fictional FC water authority. These feasible, modest
achievements would lessen water scarcity in the FC, by the year 2030. | en_US |
