Of all the challenges posed by rapid population growth, water scarcity may be the greatest.  Earlier this summer, Dr. Colin Chartres, Director General of the International Water Management Institute, warned that: 

The world’s population is predicted to increase from 6 to 8.5 billion over the next 20-30 years. If people are to be adequately nourished we need to find at least a further 2000 to 3000 cubic kilometers of water for irrigated and rain-fed cropping. This is no easy task as it is about 33% of what is currently used and many countries are already water scarce.

The challenge is made even greater by the fact that many of the countries threatened by water shortages are already heavily dependent on imported food and have rapidly growing populations. The water/food problem is particularly acute in the Middle East, where there has been a spate of recent news reports about the growing water problem.

Jordan, whose population is expected to jump from 5.7 million in 2007 to 9.8 million by 2050, is taking emergency steps to deal with its water shortage.  King Abdullah II recently appointed his brother, Prince Feisal, as chair of a committee to upgrade Jordan's water strategy.  Jordan is ranked by the World Bank as one of the world's 10 most water-deprived nations.

Yemen's population is 23 million now and is growing at 3.2% a year; one of the highest growth rates in the world. Its population is projected to reach 58 million by 2050. In a news report from Yemen this week, Abdussalam al-Faqih, a professor at Ibb University, warned that unless new measures are taken to solve “the twin problems of overpopulation and water source depletion” in the Ibb Governorate, “catastrophic consequences” will take place over the next decade.

Water shortages in the Middle East are already affecting the food situation.  Depletion of underground water aquifers has forced Saudi Arabia to halt most of its grain production.  Other countries, like Kuwait, may be forced to limit use of water for irrigation. The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) is recommending that the government consider implementing new technology to improve water storage, including direct injection into reservoirs. The news report noted that:

Much of Kuwait's water is currently obtained from desalinated seawater taken from the Gulf, which is then mixed with around 10% brackish water from the emirate's limited groundwater aquifers to create potable water. However, with a growing population and increasing demands on the water board from new developments such as the planned $132bn Silk City, which is set to house an additional 700,000 people, water security is becoming a major issue for Kuwait. Securing Kuwait's future water supply is likely to require a combination of different approaches. While an increase in storage capacity will be necessary to provide security for a growing population, sourcing fresh supplies will also become a matter of urgency.

In Egypt, where President Hosni Mubarak recently launched a new family planning program, water will play a critical role in handling projected population needs.  A recent Voice of America report indicated that:

Egypt is facing a population boom in its already overcrowded Nile corridor. It has no choice but to move into desert lands and redirect people and agriculture. Over the past 50 years, the country has invested enormous resources to divert water from the Nile  into desert areas.   

The same VOA story quotes Mohamed Farag, who works at the Desert Development Center, a research initiative sponsored by the American University in Cairo, as saying:

Egypt needs to use the desert to take care of the tremendous increase in population. We also need to use the desert to produce food, which we are now importing most of it. We are in a mess!  You see in order for the desert development to be successful, you have to have two things. One, enough water, and two, proper plans to get people convinced they can live there more comfortably and have a good life for themselves and their children.

Over the past half century, an abundance of oil has given an enormous boost to standards of living in the Middle East.  Over the next half century, a scarcity of water, combined with climate change and rapid population growth, threatens to undo much of what has been accomplished.