GWI: Middle East Desalination Holds Despite Conflict

KUALA LUMPUR, March 19 (Bernama) -- Global Water Intelligence (GWI) DesalData, a global desalination and water reuse market intelligence platform, projected that the Middle East's desalination project pipeline will remain largely intact despite the ongoing regional conflict involving Iran.

According to GWI DesalData’s global project database, the region is on track to add over 10 million cubic metres per day (m³/d) of new capacity by 2035, a buildout valued at more than US$21 billion. (US$1=RM3.93)

State-backed programmes in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain continue to advance, underpinned by fundamental water scarcity, according to a statement.

GWI Desalination & Reuse editor, Hugo Birch noted that desalination is a strategic priority for governments across the Middle East.

He stated that the underlying need for additional water remains fundamental, even during periods of geopolitical instability.

In sharp contrast, Iran itself faces the most acute near-term water risk. Despite operating approximately 1.7 million m³/d of desalination capacity, Iran is heavily reliant on overextracted groundwater and surface water sources.

Decades of underinvestment have rendered its water infrastructure structurally fragile. GWI DesalData warns that prolonged conflict could turn this fragility into a full water crisis.

GWI DesalData also indicated that if conflict were to escalate to targeting water infrastructure—an action for which there is currently no evidence—governments might reconsider the resilience of large centralised plants (some exceeding 250,000 m³/d) versus smaller, distributed facilities.

-- BERNAMA