wsf -belem 2009 : ecological debt and common goods water resources and climate change in mena region...
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water Resources and climate change in MENA region
Ecological debt and common goods: for the peoples' recovery of control over natural resources
28 January 2009 – WSF - BELEM Organizations : CADTM – ATTAC
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Aquatic Resources and climate change in MENA region
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18 countries from Morocco in northwest Africa to Iran in southwest Asia
The population of the MENA region is about 6% of the total world population
Oil is the main natural resource of the region with 70% of the world (8 of the 12 countries of OPEC are in the MENA region).
MENA ZONE ?
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The Mena region is the world's poorest in renewable resources
MENA region : Limited Water resources
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MENA region : Limited Water resources
Existing water resources have declined to one third of its level in 1960 and will be halved by 2050 if current consumption trends continue
Many countries are already experiencing a situation of acute shortage (less than 500m3/year/capita) such as Yemen, Jordan, Libya, Algeria, Palestine
In Saudi Arabia more than 75% of resources are fossil water, non-renewable
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MENA region : Growing demand
The MENA countries consume nearly 80% of the water they have
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MENA region : Growing demand
Agriculture is the main consumer of water (85% as regional average with extremes such as Syria and Yemen with respectively 90 and 95%)
Unequal distribution while most local users have only 15 liters per day to drink and treat food and hygiene (the proper amount is 50 liters), tourists staying at five-star hotels allow themselves the luxury of wasting up to 1200 liters.
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Water in occupied territories Palestine
Of 50 violent incidents related to the water in the world these last 50 years, almost 30 have been between Israel and one of these neighbours
Already in 1989, 90% of the lands occupied by Israeli settlers in the West Bank Gasa are irrigated against only 2.5% of land belonging to Palestinian farmers.
100% of Israeli settlements are connected to water and sanitation, while that percentage barely exceeds 50% among Palestinians.
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Climate Change in the MENA region and impact on water resources
Increase in annual average temperature will reach 2 to 2.5 °C by 2100. Sea level is expected to rise in many coastal towns. Bahrain will likely loose 5% to 10% of the total area of the country. Because of climate change annual average of precipitation will decrease significantly in Mena region reaching between 10 to 20%. In Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Emirates the decrease is expected to be 30 to 40 %. Warmer water will have also impact on biodiversity with higher salinity of surface especially in lakes, reservoirs and dams.
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Climate Change in the MENA region and impact on water resources
MENA is one of the most vulnerable region to climate change
MENA region is the least polluting in the world with only 4.5% of GHG emission
GHG emissions are linked to 84% for oil activities.
Poor MENA countries which owes financial debt to the developed countries are major creditors in terms of ecological debt (carbon debt)
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The liberal answer to the question of water demand
liberal postulate :"Water is a scarce and it will be scarcer
in the coming years and only the market knows how to manage the
scarcity" !!
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The liberal answer to the question of water demand
The experience of over-privatization of water services experienced by Morocco in the last decade shows the total failure of this approach in meeting the needs of
populations in water and sanitation
Morocco is shown as best example by WB; he embraced privatisation of the
water sector far more than other countries in the region
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Moroccan experience of water service privatisation
Under the pressing of the IMF and the World Bank, Morocco in 1997 adopted the French model of delegated management of water distribution: four concessions appeared successively in 1997 (Lydec group Suez-Ondéo Casablanca), 1998 (Redal with a Luso-Spanish consortium, taken by Veolia in 2003 in Rabat) and 2002 (Amendis group Véolia in Tangier
and Tetouan).
Part of drinking water delegated to private operators in Morocco
28%
42%
50%
0%0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1996 1997 1998 2005
% of privateoperators
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Government officials and liberal defender preaching the merits of this operation on many levels technical area( financial returns universal access and connectivity for drinking water create Job Opportunities…)
the promised “advantages” : some exterior makeup operations prices and water bills in those cities increase rapidly Veolia align the prices with tangers ones witch were higher. social water connections have declined significantly because of the expensive cost (1800 Euros)
Moroccan experience of water service privatisation
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The soaring price of the water bill and power was in large measure to the origin of the movement of large demonstration against the high cost of living experienced throughout Morocco since late 2006
Several sit-ins were sometimes spontaneously organized on the front of Veolia & Lydec agencies with slogans hostile to both multinational and asking them to leave the country.
Moroccan experience of water service privatisation
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Main contract violations in the Lydec-Suez case : • Deprive many people of their right of access to water (beneficiaries did not exceed 11 465 during the first five years instead of 45 miles )
• Investment gap (between 1997 to 2006) to 2.8 billion dirhams compared with a contractual investment.
•Convert profits convincing technical services in the form of exaggerated exceeded 775 million dirhams through a special company to “Lydec Service” created specifically for this purpose
•Distribution of profits estimated at 460 million dirhams during the years 2003-2005, without respecting the requirements of the contract which stipulates that the distribution of Genet will be only 10 years later.
•Lydec has not fulfilled its commitments vis-à-vis 1000 workers! Many of them were forced to leave the company (start "voluntary" or unfair dismissal).
Moroccan experience of water service privatisation
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Privatization of Atlas water source: the case of “BENSMIM”
Privatization of agriculture irrigation services: the case of
“Sebt alguerdanne ”
Moroccan experience of water service privatisation
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Recommandations
Recognize the right of access to water with enough quantity and quality as a basic human right Achieve a deep reform of water policy in MENA by linking political and economic choices (tourism, patterns of farming, industry) to the available volume of water resources
Regulation of water management and arbitrate between the different areas agriculture, industrial, drinking water, recreation and tourism ... and not leave the market to decide according to the most telling ...!
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