Author: Fanack Water Editorial Team
Groundwater is the lifeblood for many countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Renewable surface water is scarce and rainfall is limited. For urban populations, agriculture, and industry, groundwater is often the largest or only reliable water source. However, this dependency creates an acute vulnerability. Overextraction and depletion of aquifers threaten long-term water supplies, food security, and socio-economic stability across the region. Understanding the distinction between renewable and fossil groundwater, and focusing on countries with critical groundwater reliance, highlights the urgent need for sound management reforms and technological solutions in the MENA region (IEEMED, 2021, ESCWA, 2022).
Groundwater Types: Renewable vs Fossil Aquifers
A key concept in groundwater management is the difference between renewable and fossil aquifers. Renewable aquifers replenish at rates roughly equal to withdrawals through natural processes such as rainfall infiltration or managed recharge. These can sustain long-term extraction when managed within recharge limits (ESCWA, 2022).
Fossil aquifers, on the other hand, contain ancient water deposited over millennia, with negligible recharge today. Extraction essentially mines non-renewable water reserves. Once depleted, these aquifers cannot replenish on human timescales, making fossil groundwater dependence highly unsustainable (IEMED, 2021).
Top MENA Countries Dependent on Groundwater and Their Vulnerabilities
Several countries in the MENA region exhibit heavy groundwater reliance:
- Saudi Arabia: Over 90% of agricultural irrigation water and roughly 35% of urban water supply come from groundwater, much of it fossil, including the Nubian Sandstone Basin. Pumping has drastically lowered water tables, creating saline intrusion risks (Carnegie Endowment, 2024).
- Syria: Approximately 60% of irrigated agriculture depends on groundwater, with illegal wells exacerbating depletion. Ongoing conflict has worsened infrastructure and sustainability.
- Jordan: Renewable groundwater forms the water supply base, yet limited rainfall and conflict restrict recharge. Over-extraction, mainly for agriculture, lowers water tables and increases salinity.
- Lebanon: Mountainous terrain causes uneven recharge despite moderate rainfall. Over-pumping and pollution threaten aquifer health, with coastal zones facing seawater intrusion (UN ESCWA, 2022).
- Libya: Reliant on fossil groundwater from basins like the Nubian Sandstone and Sirte. Groundwater decline triggers salinization, subsidence, contamination, and aquifer collapse (IEMED, 2021).
Examples of Aquifer Depletion and Consequences
- Sahel and Arabian Peninsula Aquifers: Saq-Ram Aquifer System in Saudi Arabia shows water table declines over 100 meters in parts, resulting in saline intrusion and reduced agricultural yield (ESCWA, 2022).
- Jordan’s Disi Aquifer: Heavily tapped for urban supply outside recharge zones, causing sharp declines and costly infrastructure investments.
- Lebanon’s Coastal Aquifers: Over-pumping and urbanization led to seawater intrusion, degrading water quality (UN ESCWA, 2022).
- Libya’s Zliten Area: Groundwater contamination and overuse cause water stress and socio-economic tension (IEMED, 2021).
Groundwater depletion leads to food insecurity, health risks, and reduced drought resilience (Carnegie Endowment, 2024).
Strategies to Counter Groundwater Overreliance in Vulnerable MENA Countries
Efforts should be context-specific and include:
- Governance and Regulation: Strong institutions, clear abstraction rules, and enforcement targeting illegal wells. Jordan and Lebanon show progress but need better implementation.
- Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR): Using surplus surface water, treated wastewater, or rainfall. Techniques include ponds, injection wells, and riverbank filtration (ESCWA, 2022).
- Water Use Efficiency: Shift to drought-resistant crops, promote drip irrigation, and recycle wastewater (IEMED, 2021).
- Alternative Water Sources: Invest in renewable-powered desalination and wastewater reuse to reduce groundwater pressure (Carnegie Endowment, 2024).
- Community Engagement: Raise awareness to foster local stewardship and reduce waste.
- Regional Cooperation: Coordinate transboundary aquifer management, especially for the Nubian Basin (ESCWA, 2022).
Outlook
Groundwater is crucial for MENA countries facing water scarcity. But heavy reliance—whether on renewable or fossil aquifers—exposes them to serious depletion risks and socio-economic threats. Climate change and population growth worsen these vulnerabilities. Only through better governance, technological advances, diversification, and regional collaboration can the MENA region secure a sustainable groundwater future that protects ecosystems and livelihoods