With half of the world's population already facing water scarcity, countries are joining forces to tackle the global crisis. We visited Jordan and Cyprus, two countries facing water challenges, where various solutions are being implemented.
Half the world's population is facing water scarcity, and this proportion is set to increase as a result of climate change. Risks include environmental damage, food insecurity, forced migration and conflict.
Jordan has become one of the three most water-poor countries in the world, with an estimated available capacity of 61m3 of water per capita per year, well below the 500m3 threshold that characterises water scarcity.
The pressure on very limited resources has been increased by climate change and waves of millions of refugees in this stable kingdom in recent decades.
EU's helping hand in the water sector
The European Union is co-financing a large number of projects through grants and loans alongside the European Investment Bank and development agencies such as Germany's KfW and France's AFD, to ensure that citizens have sufficient water and to promote Jordan's sustainable development.
These projects include the construction of the Wadi al Arab II drinking water production plant, the renovation of the Irbid water reservoir and the modernization of water treatment plants to enable farmers to irrigate their fields with reclaimed water.
The EU is also one of the main backers of the mega-project dubbed ‘Aqaba-Amman’, which involves building one of the world's largest desalination plants on the Red Sea and pumping water 450 km to the capital.
‘If this project does not work out, we will not have enough water for agriculture or industry. Investors are coming to bid in this project, so hopefully we will do it’, Jordan Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Soud told Euronews.
Europe's quest for unconvention water
Desalination is one of the ‘non-conventional’ water resources on which some European countries such as Spain, Cyprus and Portugal are already relying heavily. But this practice is energy-intensive, and the brine discharged can harm marine ecosystems.
Cyprus is also a European leader in the reuse of wastewater for irrigation, a more circular solution that the European Union wants to maximise and make more effective.
In 2023, Cyprus reclaimed some 29 million cubic metres of water, two-thirds of which was used to support agriculture. The other part is used to recharge aquifers, according to the Water Development Department (WDD), which reports to the Minister for Agriculture.
‘We have to make the most of every single drop, as history has shown us that storing rainwater into damns is not a permanent solution’, said Yianna Economidou, from WDD.
In 2008, when Cyprus was experiencing a severe drought, the country had to import freshwater from Greece.
Awaited EU strategy for water resilience
The European Commission is due to present this year its Water Resilience Strategy, which is expected to promote efficiency, water reuse and circularity through sector-wide investment and innovation.
One component will be to improve the fight against water pollution, while a new European directive provides for the financial participation of cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries in the installation of additional treatment in large wastewater treatment plants to eliminate micro-pollutants.
'The European Union is pioneering this field. Knowledge is driving policy and policy will drive technological advances’, Despo Fatta Kassinos, Professor at the University of Cyprus, told Euronews.
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