The global challenge of water scarcity is exacerbated by rising populations, rainfall variability, and water stress, with climate change significantly impacting the water cycle, affecting food, energy, urban, and environmental systems.
If current water management policies continue and climate predictions hold true, water scarcity will spread to new regions and worsen in areas already affected. By 2050, cities could face a two-thirds reduction in water availability compared to 2015 levels.
In response, investments in desalination and water reclamation infrastructure are increasing globally.
As desalination costs decrease and technology advances, these sources are becoming more viable for broader applications. Incorporating desalinated and reclaimed water into the water mix, alongside improving efficiency, can help address climate uncertainty economically. This shift requires rethinking legal and regulatory frameworks, as unconventional water resources often lack clear integration into existing water rights and allocation regimes.
Countries mainstreaming unconventional water resources may need to adapt institutional structures and management models, potentially involving the private sector.
Decisions on assigning responsibilities and managing services should be based on thorough risk appraisals and sector stakeholder capacities. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) and traditional public procurement methods are options, but decisions are often influenced by biases or misconceptions. Communities, especially in remote areas, may also play a role in providing desalination and reclamation services.
The World Bank has developed case studies, guidelines, and tools to assist sector authorities in sustainably mainstreaming unconventional water sources.
These instruments support reforms in water sector policies, institutions, and regulations, help determine optimal water mix compositions, and identify the best project delivery models. The series aims to guide sector authorities in deploying desalination and reuse at scale, focusing on governance reforms and appraisal methodologies for sustainable implementation.
The knowledge series contains five volumes and aims to provide government authorities with guidelines and tools for the creation of this enabling environment and for the appraisal of desalination and reuse initiatives. These volumes focus on the following areas:
