As conflict spreads across the Middle East, attention is shifting from oil to a more immediate risk: water. Heavy reliance on desalination plants leaves Gulf nations vulnerable, raising fears that attacks on infrastructure could threaten drinking water for millions.<\/p>\n
As war in the Middle East<\/a> escalates the attention again shifts to the region\u2019s oil exports. While this time, the focus is not just oil it is far more prosaic: drinking water.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Continuous strikes, cyberattack, repatriation and contamination of food and water bodies have damaged the lives of Middle Eastern states. Analysts warn that water infrastructure may become a critical vulnerability in the conflict<\/a>.<\/p>\n Around half of the world\u2019s population faces seasonal water scarcity, making water an increasingly politicised resource. About 90 per cent of Kuwait\u2019s drinking water comes from desalination. The figure is 86 per cent in Oman and 70 per cent in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIs desalinated water enough for Gulf?<\/strong><\/p>\n Gulf countries<\/a> account for over 40 per cent of the world\u2019s desalinated water. But a region defined by extreme heat, and over no rainfall desalination is not a technical supplement to national life. It is just a source of living that makes national life possible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Desalinated water is seawater or brackish water that has undergone a process to remove salt, minerals, and impurities.<\/p>\n The downside is the vulnerability of the installations, and the oil and gas consumption required to fire the power generators that run the plants.<\/p>\n Attack can contaminate region\u2019s water<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n Qatar\u2019s Prime Minister last year warned that any attack on Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities could entirely contaminate the region\u2019s waters and threaten life in Qatar, the UAE, and Kuwait.<\/p>\n He also added that Qatar<\/a> has already witnessed that it could run out of potable water after just three days in such a scenario, prompting the construction of 15 massive water reservoirs to expand emergency reserves.<\/p>\n Gulf states depend on desalinised plants<\/strong><\/p>\n About 100 million people live in the countries belonging to the Gulf Cooperation Council \u2014 Saudi Arabia<\/a>, Kuwait<\/a>, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates<\/a> and Oman \u2014 which are all now under the Iranian attack.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n