Osman Abdalla

Anvar Kacimov

Mingjie Chen

Ali Al-Maktoumi

Talal Al-Hosni

Kaveh Madani

Slim Zekri

This book presents the most recent innovative studies in the field of water resources for arid areas to move towards more sustainable management of the resources. It gathers outstanding contributions presented at the 2nd International Water Conference on Water Resources in Arid Areas (IWC), which was held online (Muscat, Oman) in November 2020. Papers discuss challenges and solutions to alleviate water resource scarcity in arid areas, including water resources management, the introduction of modern irrigation systems, natural groundwater recharge, construction of dams for artificial recharge, use of treated wastewater, and desalination technologies. As such, the book provides a platform for the exchange of recent advances in water resources research, which are essential to improving the critical water situation and to move towards more sustainable management of water resources.

Water Resources in Arid Lands: Management and Sustainability

The book provides an overview on national policies and regulations related to water resource management in the Middle East and North African countries (MENA), where water scarcity problems are critical. The physical/natural constraints, socio-economic and political circumstances make the MENA region a sort of ‘laboratory’ for natural resource management and particularly water management. The book provides a good comparison on how neighboring countries with quite similar natural constraints and cultures are addressing water problems in different ways. It enlightens water resource specialists on successful experiences around the region and show cases the reforms undertaken in the water sector to meet the challenges posed by urbanization, food security, water pollution and climate change. The book constitutes nine chapters, seven of them with content from the main MENA countries. It starts with an introductory chapter that provides background information on the region’s water resources with descriptive statistics and historical developments of the water sector. It ends with a chapter that summarizes the policy implications and main conclusions on the way forward for sustainable management of water in MENA countries.

Slim Zekri

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