Water Resources, Water Quality and Human Health in Regions of Extreme Stress: Middle East

Abstract

Water is the most important natural resource in the Arab World and will only become more important in the future. Water demand generally rises in conjunction with population increase and economic growth. Water shortage and scarcity will add a layer of political uncertainty in the region and potential conflicts may appear in several countries and may expand to more countries that share the same water source or groundwater aquifer. The symptoms and influences of climate change in the Arab region have been expressed in extreme harsh environments affecting all components and levels of societies and economies. Elevated poverty, food and water scarcity, migration and instability, flooding and catastrophes, diseases and mortality, are all real examples. This review aims to summarize the multi-disciplinary issues of the water crisis in the Arab World; to review the recent available data and information describing the status of water in the region; to highlight the urgency for synergy and integration in all scales and levels; and to propose scientific and affordable mitigation measures and solutions for the survival of the existing and coming generations. Water as an Important ResourceWater always has been the key element of life on Planet Earth, and it always will be. It is the top priority for all cultures, religions, civilizations and social communities. Water influences every aspect of human life and plays a key role in every nation's progress. Water availability and water quality have a direct relationship with the food system and nutrition, urban development and expansion, financial livelihood, and community health and hygiene [1].The limited natural resources are experiencing growing scarcity, depletion and outright disappearance in several parts of the earth. Loss of land quality and pollution resulting from population pressures, urbanization, industrialization and economic expansion present a threat to the continued function of the earth's surface, particularly in arid, semi-arid and tropical regions where a long history of chemical decomposition of rocks has made the land surface environment especially vulnerable [2].A very complex reality emerges when we realize that seven billion people rely on the incredibly limited fresh water resource that is not unavailable due to its permanent location in the ground or atmosphere. This available fresh water accounts for 1% of all fresh water and is distributed disproportionately throughout the globe. The varying spatial distribution of fresh water, resulting from multifaceted systems of rainfall in space and time, fundamentally impacts the ecosystems and infrastructures on which the livelihood of humans rely [3]. Consequently, water and sanitation are now treasured as fundamental human rights. In spite of continuous efforts by the United Nations, 884 million people do not have reliable access to clean water and 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation [4].As a moving resource, water links mountains to lowlands and urban populations to rural upland dwellers. Its managem...

An Increase of Abundance and Transcriptional Activity for Acinetobacter junii Post Wastewater Treatment

“…It is predicted that, by 2050, many countries worldwide will bear the brunt of global water scarcity [1]. To relieve the pressure on finite sources of fresh water, treated wastewater has been purported as an alternative source.…”