Addressing Water Pollution and Supporting Water Management in Arab Countries

Water scarcity, drought and salinity are among the most challenging environmental constraints facing people and their livelihoods in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Most Arab countries who are party to the Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology (ARASIA) are located in arid to semi-arid areas, where water availability is limited and water resources are mostly groundwater.

Groundwater is often hidden deep in aquifers, permeable rocks and sediment and is extracted using pumping wells. Often, aquifers can be renewable water resources, slowly replenished by rainfall infiltration over hundreds up to many thousands of years. A growing global population, coupled with more intensive agriculture and increasing industrial use, have led to an ever-rising demand for groundwater. Added to this in the ARASIA region are threats emanating from seawater intrusion which exacerbates the deterioration of groundwater quality and threatens this vulnerable water resource.

Most Arab countries can suffer from severe water shortages over several years. This is characterized by small quantities of rainfall and high evaporation rates from surface water bodies. This challenge is expected to be more serious in the future because of environmental and climatic changes, which will create long dry seasons, most lasting for several years.

The dependence on limited groundwater resources in countries of ARASIA is a major challenge that can be addressed by better understanding the water origin and size of the freshwater aquifers and their interaction with surface water. With water consumption rising as populations expand, and in some areas, uncontrolled pollution and unregulated water use, in addition to the effects of climate change which has been affecting rainfall and evapotranspiration in aquifer recharge areas, building water and soil management capacities is essential to secure the lives and livelihoods of people in ARASIA.  

Two consecutive regional IAEA technical cooperation projects helped Arab countries in the Asia and Pacific region (ARASIA) improve the management of groundwater resources. These were the Using Environmental Isotopes and Natural Radioactivity in the Assessment of Ground Water Quality and the Assessing Water Resources Pollution by Using Chemical and Environmental Isotope Techniques projects. The projects enhanced national capabilities of participating ARASIA countries to develop programmes for quality assessment of groundwater resources. This was done through training to improve the understanding of groundwater dynamics in selected areas in the region. The projects contributing to the attainment of SDG 6.3 (improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials).

The regional projects were implemented through close coordination between national counterparts, technical officers and an IAEA Programme Management Officer. More than 27 capacity-building activities under the two projects were undertaken, as well as procurement of specific equipment to enhance infrastructure related to water management. Participants came from Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, and were supported by experts from the IAEA and external experts. The training built and/or strengthened capacities in the use of chemical, radio isotope and stable isotopic techniques for the assessment and monitoring of groundwater quality, including identifying sources of contamination, such as saline intrusion and naturally-occurring levels of radioactivity. 

The project countries collaborated to gather historical data from groundwater wells in selected study areas, conducted sampling at selected sites, performed chemical and radioactive content analysis, analysed environmental isotopes and interpreted data. The countries networked and collaborated to share national knowledge and technical capabilities for the integrated management of their water resources.

The project was implemented within the framework of a regional agreement supported by the IAEA that promotes sharing of knowledge and expertise, networking and collaboration among countries, the Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology. Regional technical cooperation projects are highly effective channels for the transfer of knowledge and expertise among countries and help to address common challenges in a region. ARASIA countries shared detailed reports of their national fieldwork and knowledge to build on achievements of these collaborative projects.

Thanks to this collaborative approach, it was possible to establish a database of chemical and radioactive isotopes in water in the region, which contributed to the determination of the age and recharge mechanism of water from groundwater wells. The findings of the projects provided data for informed decision-making, namely in Jordan and Syria, as well as providing an evidence base for informed resource management decisions that would enhance sustainable, integrated management of the region’s water resources. The national investigations in participating member states generated data and information that will be available as the basis for policy-making in groundwater resources management. The importance of information dissemination was recognized, and this was effectively implemented by most of the member states in the form of scientific publications and presentations at international scientific conferences and symposia.

These projects presented the opportunity for member states to benefit from the technical infrastructure of other ARASIA members to assess water quality and improve their water management programmes. This experience in South-South cooperation, gained through these and similar projects, enhanced human resource capacity and expertise and improved infrastructural capabilities for improved management of water resources in the region and boosted the ability to recommend to policymakers suitable remedial actions if needed.