Calming regional aridity

Abstract

Arid regions throughout the world experience long periods of drought. Combined with a high temperature, this can lead to water shortage. Due to climate change, this is expected to worsen, as areas become drier and temperatures increase. One of the regions where this problem occurs is the region of North-East Africa. In this region, water stress is expected to increase in the (near) future due to an increase in demand for water and a decrease of the availability. While most of these countries depend on a shared water source, transboundary cooperation is lacking. A regional strategy, to create a common framework, is needed to cope with this regional problem which can strengthen long term resilience. This thesis tries to find which elements are crucial when creating a regional strategy for these regions.

North-East Africa has many regional differences: while the countries Sudan and Egypt are mainly dependent on water from the Nile, Libya lacks freshwater sources and depends on groundwater. Regional differences like this are why it is difficult to create one strategy which addresses the whole region at once. This is why it is important to zoom in and see what local cities or regions specifically need. By zooming in, these local differences can be, together with challenges on a larger scale, form a strategy with which the regional can tackle water shortage.

The strategy itself contains three main aspects; priorities, outcomes and outputs. The six main priorities can be used to set goals for both the larger and smaller scale for both present and future, and can help decisionmakers link other topics to this common goal. The outcomes are linked to both these priorities, as well as the SDG’s, to improve the connectivity to other future policies and action plans. Outputs in this strategy are directly linked to the outcomes to provide input about how these outcomes are achievable. These outputs, also known as actions, are either spatial or policies. To illustrate the effect and possibilities of spatial actions, the Greater Cairo region is investigated on a smaller scale. This is done by looking into four main types which illustrate the various forms of urban fabric in the city.

The main findings of this thesis are that a regional strategy in arid regions should take into account aspects on both small and large scale, as well as tackling issues in the present and future. Only by constantly switching between scales and time, a coherent and functioning strategy can be created.