Irrational Use?

From ‘virtual’ water to climate change

Other pressures on the NSAS include a new interesting modern phenomenon -- the export of ‘virtual water’ contained in agricultural products that are exported from Nubian areas to other countries, for example through olives from Egyptian farms to Austrian markets. The water (stored in the product) is therefore permanently removed from local scarce freshwater reserves.

At the aquifer’s fringes, especially in its northern areas where freshwater interfaces with saltwater, there is a high potential for water abstraction to leave underground gaps that in turn become filled with brackish or saline water intruding from the edges, thereby reducing water quality.

Climate change is another factor in the overall equation that is growing in importance, and also in mystery. Current projections indicate that developing countries with arid regions are particularly vulnerable, including people that are living in and moving to desert areas. Here, the main question is about how such people can adapt to environments faced with climate change impacts – socially and economically – and what types of government policies are most effective in supporting such wise adaptation. By the 2020s, Mediterranean region temperatures are expected to rise by 1.4 to 2.6 degrees C, with possible impacts for North Africa ranging from increased inland evaporation to more saline coastal aquifers due to rising sea levels.

Finally, in Chad, Libya and Egypt, private water bottling companies are extracting and selling water for commercial purposes.

Without increased attention targeted at these and other concerns, dreams of blooming deserts could fade away.