Middle East and North Africa

It is the fact that, water is regarded as an essential element of human existence and well-being, thus any water-related changes are perceived by the world population.

Unfortunately, not all regions are provided with sufficient amount of drinking water, which greatly influences the economic, political, and even cultural situation of these territories. With reference to Professor Alatout’s podcast, the problem of water resources has always been of great importance throughout Middle and South East. The shift from water abundance to its scarce in 1950s became a very controversial issue in Palestine and Israel. During the time, when the professor was doing his research on Israel water policy he noticed, that the government intentionally never rose the question about water shortage, owing to attract more immigrants and visitors. The Turkish government has also faced the water shortage problem and the urgent need of better water management.

Coping with this serious setback should be considered in geographical approach. According to the article by Professor Harris, the provision of safe drinking water depends on the socio-spatial characteristics and hydro-geographic features. The governments of such countries make desperate efforts to meet primary demands of residents. The absence of water access made lives of some people practically unbearable. According to Professor Harris, women in the Harran plain (region in Turkey) are often charged with using water for drinking and domestic needs, such as laundry or washing-up. What is more, people of this region greatly suffer from such illness as malaria, which is associated with stagnant water. The people of these dry, impoverished territories appreciate every drop of water, which is associated with religious ritual purification and plays a significant role in cultural beliefs. The government does its best to enhance the life conditions of these unfortunate people. It conducts special trainings on water management for women and provides constant reconstruction of water delivery system (some houses already have in-house access, to remote areas water is brought in by “tankers”).