Expanding water reuse in the Middle East and North Africa: policy report
Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa (hereafter called “the region”) generate around 21.5 billion cubic meters (BCM) of municipal wastewater each year. Many countries are substantially improving their wastewater treatment rate, however, about 40% of produced domestic wastewater and a substantial portion of industrial wastewater in the region are still left untreated. Water reuse can help tackle the water scarcity problems of the region, which have been exacerbated by climate change. It also has the potential to play an important role in water resources management to lessen the present and long-term demand-supply imbalance. Addressing these challenges is particularly important when considering the increasing population and urbanization trends of the region, which will lead to an increase of domestic water use.
