Water Harvesting

Water harvesting can be defined as “the collection and sustainable management of moisture, rainwater, floodwater and/or groundwater”. Water harvesting supplement water availability for domestic and agricultural uses and is also important for maintaining ecosystem balance and sustainability.

The need for water harvesting to cope with water scarcity has been explicitly recommended in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6, Target 7) and the 8th phase of the International Hydrological Program of UNESCO (IHP-VIII, 2014-2021). Water harvesting was also highlighted in many other regional and international declarations and strategies, including the Arab Water Strategy of 2012. There are also strong commitments among Arab countries to adopt demand management strategy and develop non-conventional water resources including various water harvesting technologies.

Water Harvesting technology has developed considerably in the last few decades. Hydrological monitoring systems and developing maps for potential water harvesting areas on the regional scale are highly recommended, as well as supporting regional cooperation, applied research, and the construction of pilot-scale water harvesting demonstration projects.