projections for GCC countries over the period
1995–2025 are given in Table 2.
The total renewable water in the GCC coun-
tries in 2002 amounted to 8,209.7 MCM. The high
population growth rate in the region exceeds by
far the rate of water resource development. Con-
sequently, the annual per capita share of water
resources is decreasing, and at an increasing rate.
Five countries in the region have a per capita water
use of under 500 m3/y, half the benchmark of
1,000 m3/y which indicates chronic water scarcity.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have done so only by
mining their groundwater reserves. The national
economy of most countries depends on oil and
oil-related industries, commerce, light industries,
and agriculture, in descending order. Due to the
rapid increase in population and urbanization,
domestic water and industry needs are escalating
at rates with which available water resources
cannot keep pace. Furthermore, the adopted policy
of food self-sufficiency imposes continual con-
straints on the allocation of water resources, which
would otherwise reduce the share for agriculture
in favor of increased domestic and industrial
demand. Currently the agricultural sector takes
85% of available water resources followed by
domestic water use, 14% and 4% for commercial
and industrial use as shown in Table 3 [4].
The water stress experienced by the GCC
countries in 2002 is expressed in Table 4 as the
percentage of available water resources actually
used. The index reaches values of over 100% in