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The Middle East Is Running Out of Water

(Washington Times) Daniel Pipes - Over two-thirds of Iran's cities and towns are on the verge of a water crisis that could result in drinking water shortages; already, thousands of villages depend on water tankers. Much of the Middle East is running out of water due to population growth, short-sighted dictators, distorted economic incentives, and infrastructure-destroying warfare. In Gaza, seawater intrusion and the leakage of sewage has made 95% of the coastal aquifer unfit for human consumption. In Syria, between 2002 and 2008, water resources dropped by half, as did grain output, causing 250,000 farmers to abandon their land. Hundreds of villages have been abandoned as farmlands turn to desert and grazing animals die off. In Israel, by contrast, thanks to a combination of conservation, recycling, innovative agricultural techniques, and high-tech desalination, the country has all the water it needs. Israel can desalinate about 17 liters of water for one U.S. cent. Desperate neighbors might think about ending their futile state of war with the world's hydraulic superpower and instead learn from it. The writer is president of the Middle East Forum.
2015-05-15 00:00:00
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