The majority of countries in the Middle East and North Africa are either consuming or are expected to consume within a few years more water than their annual renewable supply. This is due mainly to high population, urbanisation and economic growth rates. Until recently, new sources of supply have been exploited to cope with increasing demand. However, this is no longer cost effective due to limited water resources and the economic and environmental costs of tapping new sources. An additional problem is that current sources of water are being polluted by domestic and industrial waste and agricultural runoff, further limiting water available for use.
In view of this, the International Development Research Centre is supporting the promotion of water demand management strategies through the WDM Forum.
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