ABSTRACT
Water, the most precious commodity in deserts, is the single most natural resource that determines the suitability of a habitat for the living organisms. Throughout the arid Middle East and North Africa, water shortages have become increasingly acute. Population growth, combined with agricultural expansion and intensification, has heightened demand for domestic, industrial, and agricultural (especially irrigation) water use. Local surface and subsurface water resources are no longer sufficient to meet these burgeoning needs throughout the region (Ahmadi et al. 2010). Domestic water supply is so short that it is rationed in a number of Middle-Eastern cities, and, as the region’s cities continue to grow, it is likely that urban water demand will also grow (Gupta and Onta 1997). In rural areas, irrigation water is increasingly scarce. A scarcity of irrigation water will force small farmers off the land and increase food imports across the Middle East (Gupta and Onta 1997).
