There was unanimity the two shores of the Mediterranean need to cooperate amid increasing water challenges as the 5th Mediterranean Water Forum got underway Monday in Tunis. The arab world is among the regions most affected by water scarcity. Available resources amount to 260 billion cubic meters- well below needs, said Nasreddine Elabid, Director General of the Arab Centre for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD). By 2030, Arab countries which water needs keep increasing will face a 127 billion m3 gap, he added. The average per capita availability of water in the arab region is around 550 m3, hardly reaching 400 m3 in Tunisia while not exceeding 200 m3 in eight arab countries and 100 m3 in six other countries. This scarcity, exacerbated by the impact of conflicts in the region and climate change, Elabid said, has become a real threat to security in the region. Some populations are totally denied the right to water, even though clean water and sanitation is at the core of SDGs. This is the ca se for the population of Gaza where the state of affairs is " not critical; It is catastrophic; inhuman and source of questioning to our values," said Almotaz Abadi, Deputy SecretaryGeneral of the Union for the Mediterranean. Abadi said there is need to secure regional mobilisation to defend the right to access water for all. President of the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME) Alain Meyssonnier said it is imperative for both shores of the Mediterranean to work in concert to address water challenges. "In just a few years, we moved from abundance to scarcity. The gap is closing between the North and the South of the Mediterranean in water resources, thus the need to work together to cope with this state of affairs." In spite of the alarming situation in the Mediterranean, Meyssonnier brought to light three main findings, namely the existence of solutions which require joint action, increased awareness by the public and enterprises in different countries and youth involvement. President of the World Water Council Loïc Fauchon said "water is currently attacked, it is the whole planet which is suffering." "Today, we have three priorities: finding water for nature, water for health and water for food," he added. "To this end, it is crucial to increase water supply through several techniques, mainly desalination, waste water recycling and better demand management (digitisation of forms of governance and change in behaviours). Fauchon laid emphasis on technological innovation, infrastructure funding and maintenance to secure horizontal water management. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse