Water is one of the most precious resources in the Middle East’s arid environment. However, conserving this commodity is becoming increasingly challenging amid the region’s rapid population growth, urban sprawl and rising industrialization. Even more concerning is the necessity of water as it grows scarcer by the day due to climate change.
Fortunately, technological advances and emerging construction practices create a path toward water resilience in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in bustling cities like Dubai, Mashhad and Cairo.
Water Challenges in the Middle East
Decades of poor water management and the growing threat of climate change across the Middle East have dried up waterways, leaving populations struggling to access clean water supplies.
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, every Middle Eastern and North African country will be under extremely high water stress by 2050. In fact, if regional temperatures rise by 4 degrees Celsius, freshwater availability will decrease by 75% — currently, temperatures are expected to exceed the predicted increase.
As of 2024, the World Population Review says there are 500,338,520 people in the Middle East, representing 6.25% of the global population. While the growth rate will begin to wane slightly through 2050, lower mortality and steady birth rates due to modern medicine and improved sanitation will retain the population’s increasing pressure on water supplies.
Over-extraction of groundwater, industrial pollution, urban runoff and fluctuating precipitation patterns already pose significant challenges to mitigating the water crisis. As a result, the public faces considerable health predicaments, contamination, hindered agricultural productivity, strains on existing water infrastructure, resource conflicts and biodiversity loss.
5 Water-Saving Projects for a Climate-Resilient Region
Communities across the Middle East have recognized the importance of water-saving construction to future-proof the region against climate change. Your life depends on it even more as drier, hotter conditions and flooding make clean water resources harder to come by worldwide.
Here are five water conservation construction initiatives happening now throughout the Middle East.
1. Retention Ponds
You may be surprised to learn that parts of the Middle East — like Lebanon’s mountain region and northern Iran near the Caspian Sea — experience higher precipitation than most. As climate change alters weather patterns, many Middle Eastern areas cannot mitigate excess rainfall.
Retention ponds capture and store stormwater runoff, helping to control the flow of water from heavy rain and prevent flood events. These ponds — usually 3-9 feet deep or sometimes deeper — hold the water and release it into the ground slowly.
Cairo, Egypt, has begun experimenting with retention ponds to address excess stormwater. These ponds provide a more affordable option than underground tanks, allowing the city to collect and reuse the water for landscaping. According to one study, one storm produces six days’ worth of water for irrigation to mitigate moisture loss from evaporation.
2. Irrigation Systems
Saudi Arabia is approximately 38% desert land, threatening its booming agricultural market. It receives just four inches of rain annually and has among the lowest precipitation rates. Yet, many of your favorite fresh vegetables, fruits, wheat and dairy products may come from there. Saudi Arabia is also a major exporter of dates, dairy, eggs, fish and poultry.
The country is trying to build a more sustainable agricultural infrastructure by incorporating water-saving irrigation systems. One method that has shown excellent results is subsurface-regulated deficit irrigation, particularly for open-field-grown cucumbers.
Spray irrigation has higher efficiency than traditional methods.
Subsurface-regulated deficit irrigation is a controlled water-releasing technique in which irrigation is applied just below the soil surface. This approach uses less water than the crop typically requires, placing slight stress on the plants to enhance water use efficiency — based on the crop’s growth stage — and still maintain yields.
3. Water-Conserving Fixtures
Did you know that the United States uses 444,300,000,000 liters of water annually, making it the third-highest water-consuming country globally? Your household alone could waste 10,000 gallons each year.
Green building is gaining momentum worldwide as cities strive for resilience and sustainability to combat climate change. In Dubai, the Green Buildings Regulations and Specification project mandates all government buildings — and private ones voluntarily — include energy-efficient designs and materials.
There’s also been a push to get buildings certified with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) designation. These buildings often implement innovative technology, efficient HVAC systems, low-energy lighting, green roofs and water-saving fixtures.
The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry has maintained LEED certification since 2013 and recycles water for flushing toilets. The system decreases potable desalinized water use by 69% annually, allowing the building to save 1.1 million imperial gallons per year — over 1,321,044 U.S. gallons.
4. Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is another catchment system in the Middle East that captures and stores rainwater for various purposes. Under this approach, heavy rainwater flows from rooftop gutters and downspouts into a storage tank.
Due to the area’s dry climate and limited freshwater availability, advanced rainwater harvesting technologies and methods could help supplement resources for landscaping, irrigation and non-drinkable uses.
In Mashhad — Iran’s second-largest city — precipitation is scarce during the hot and dry seasons, increasing the need to relieve pressure on drinking water supplies. Sounder storm and water management are needed in the city, as well as finding external water sources for non-potable needs.
In one study, Mashhad harvested enough water from roof catchment systems and urban surfaces for agricultural and environmental uses. However, disinfection and maximum filtration are required to improve water’s chemical and microbiological quality for human and animal consumption.
5. Greywater Recycling
Greywater recycling is treating and reusing wastewater from non-toilet household fixtures. For instance, if you wash the dishes, shower or do the laundry, the water will flow through a filtration system to remove impurities and be reused for irrigation, flushing and landscaping. Research shows you can save 50% to 80% of water by reusing greywater at home.
Saudi Arabia’s government hopes to achieve complete wastewater recycling by 2040. So far, 36.9% of males and 31.7% of females favor using treated greywater for laundering. Only 11.6% of males and 12.1% of females feel the same about using it for bathing.
Water Resilience Depends on Innovative Infrastructure
The Middle East has no time to spare to future-proof its water supplies. As one of Earth’s hottest and driest regions, nations must turn to innovative water-saving construction to collect and reuse what they can to bolster municipal water management systems.
