تكاليف تدهور المورد المائي في دولة البحرين منظور اقتصادي لاستدامة التنمية
| Author | عبد الغفار، عبد الحميد أحمد | |
|---|---|---|
| metadata.dc.date.accessioned | 2026-09-20T15:50:06Z | |
| Publication date | 2000 | |
| Degree level | Master | |
| Abstract | Abstract: There is an unanimous world-wide agreement that a global water crisis exists, and that water will be one of the most valuable commodities in the world market. The water situation is complicated, and it gets even worse if we consider the fact that most of the Arab countries, including Bahrain, are classified by international organizations as the countries most likely to be affected by the perils of water shortages. The per capita water share in these countries is less than 1,000 m³/year, which is the limit approved by the United Nations as the required standard to satisfy human living needs. Water availability is controlled by various factors; the most important is the peculiar natural limitations over which humans have no control. It is also controlled by economic variables imposed by the ambition for future development. Social constraints and pressures, such as overwhelming population growth, are another factor with a tremendous impact on water needs. In the case of the Arab countries, a fourth factor can be added: the geopolitical factor, the fact that water resources in these countries originate from set aside their political boundaries The aim of this study is to reveal the magnitude of water challenges facing the state of Bahrain and to shed some light on the reality of the water crisis from an economic perspective. The water crisis is forcing itself as one of the cardinal issues in any future strategy in both economic and social development. For this reason, the study dealt with depletable (non-renewable) and renewable water resources and their significance for water in Bahrain On the other hand, the study calls for the importance of revising the conceptualization and methodology used in calculating the cost of meeting the demand for water, and the importance of computing the actual cost of groundwater reserves depletion, as groundwater is one of the limited resources and is prone to both depletion and pollution, which is not given proper attention in classical national accounting systems. Therefore, an alternative, novel method is proposed to calculate the real water cost, which represents a principal input in various economic sectors, in order to calculate the real cost of water in the gross domestic product. The value added in the majority of economic sectors, especially the agriculture sector, does not calculate the actual water cost, which necessitates the revaluation of the actual share of the agriculture sector in the gross domestic product, in line with calls for calculating the green gross domestic product In contradistinction with its neighboring countries, the state of Bahrain faces many challenges, including the reduction of water reserves and the short duration (or proposed age) of its non-renewable resources, represented by oil and gas, in addition to the scarcity of its land and water resources, which is exacerbated by a parallel high population growth rate that requires a concomitant demand for public services and facilities. Therefore, the study, with a simple analysis, deals with the burden of rapid population growth, which has no clear and specific policy, creating a serious problem under Bahrain's recent limited resources Due to this dilemma, the study, within certain selected scenarios, attempted to calculate the impact of following different population policies under two main variables: the first represented by the gross demand for groundwater, and the second embodied by the salt concentration in the groundwater. In other words, the study attempts to translate the water demand of all economic sectors into costs using the opportunity cost method that considered the cost of seawater desalination as an alternative solution. The real problem is that, over time, the cost of groundwater desalination approaches the cost of seawater desalination because of the increase in groundwater salinity, which makes it invalid for personal use. The study also focused on the positive effects obtained from the increase in seawater desalination and sewage treatment All the selected scenarios led to a significant finding. Despite the ultimate importance of expanding production capacity in both new desalination plants and sewage treatment stations, these solutions are not effective enough to solve the water crisis. They require various supportive procedures, including following a clearly stated population policy to create a lasting and optimal management of groundwater exploitation. It is necessary to study the development of water demand in different economic sectors under recent and anticipated population growth rates, and to study the existing reality and future prospects for the development of all economic sectors within an integrated, comprehensive strategic framework. In addition to the controlled population growth policy in solving the water crisis, a comprehensive collaboration of all efforts should be taken seriously to preserve the sole water resource in Bahrain. Population policy, desalination plant capacity expansion, and sewage treatment capacity expansion should be harmonized and coordinated with agricultural policies The Arab Gulf states share the same triad of drought, pollution, and population growth, so regional cooperation among them is a must. This can be achieved through comprehensive local, social, and economic policies for each state while adopting a regional strategy to address common regional water threats and fulfill their future hopes. A model was developed to estimate the gross groundwater demand variable and the underground salinity rate variable, which led to the estimation of the cost of water supply in 1995. This was achieved by applying a new method to calculate the opportunity cost represented by the cost of seawater desalination. Accordingly, it was possible to predict the main variables of concern until 2020, anticipating the future situation in the next two decades. On the other hand, the burdens of the agriculture sector, in particular, on the national economy were also discussed. The study encourages the revision of water conservation in the agriculture sector. There are huge amounts of water wasted under the pretext of providing self-sufficiency in food, but at the expense of water and environment security loss Because of the hazardous environmental threats resulting from agricultural activities, groundwater demands, and financial and population challenges, the study suggested various alternatives to address the critical water situation in Bahrain. Among these solutions is to give up growing local agricultural crops that consume large amounts of water and fertilizers without participating in developing the national income or having significant aesthetic or environmental values. Among the suggested measures to hinder the ever-growing water demand for agricultural purposes, the study considers the revenue per cubic meter of water instead of the revenue per square meter of land as a better restraint. A review of recent landscaping and beautification trends, taking into account the most suitable species of plants for our local environment, is a feasible water preserving policy. Food security and self-sufficiency is an issue that can be addressed within an Arabic or regional framework in a cooperative and comprehensive context | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.other | Drupal node 4101 | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.other | https://digitalrepository.uob.edu.bh/en/dar/tkalyf-tdhwr-almwrd-almayy-fy-dwlt-albhryn-mnzwr-aqtsady-lastdamt-altnmyt | |
| metadata.dc.identifier.uri | http://165.227.56.122/handle/123456789/6987 | |
| Language | ar | |
| Link | https://digitalrepository.uob.edu.bh/en/_flysystem/fedora/2025-07/001528_tkalyf_tdhwr_almwrd_almayy_fy_dwlt_albhryn_mnzwr_aqtsady_lastdamt_altnmyt.pdf | |
| Subject | الموارد المائية--الجوانب الإقتصادية--البحرين --رسائل جامعية | |
| Subject | البحرين--تنمية الموارد المائية -- رسائل جامعية | |
| Title | تكاليف تدهور المورد المائي في دولة البحرين منظور اقتصادي لاستدامة التنمية | |
| Type | Master's Thesis |
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