ABSTRACT
The Middle East is an arid region in which access to adequate water supplies has often been a highly charged issue. Furthermore, some of the region’s largest rivers flow across hostile boundaries. Nevertheless, cooperation about water has been and continues to be more common than disputes. The region has learned how to manage water, both from an economic and a technical point of view. In addition to the long-standing efforts to increase water supply, many Middle East governments are now also reducing demand. Since approximately two-thirds of the region’s water use is for agriculture, demand management is largely a matter of changing the mix of crops grown and the farming techniques used. The continuing problems in household water supply in several countries are mostly due to inefficient management of a public service, not of physical water availability.
