Currently, there are 17 countries under extremely high water stress and many others with high-stress levels — the majority of these countries are in the Middle East and North Africa. These arid regions are usually more vulnerable than most. Due to climate pressures, and increasing population needs, the world is running out of water.

Water supply is becoming more threatened by sources being polluted, overdrawn, or drying up. For freshwater, most countries rely on groundwater or surface water. However, only about 3 of Earth’s water is freshwater, which is not meeting everyone’s needs. To combat this crisis we have been investing in ways to produce more freshwater. One main technological solution is converting saltwater, which makes up 97% of the earth’s water, to freshwater through desalination.

This process consists of the breaking down of the molecular structure of water and removing the salt which requires large facilities and equipment. The cost of desalinization is about twice the cost of treating wastewater or rainwater, however, despite the expense, there are already countries that rely on this process. Over 300 million people around the globe get their water from desalination plants.

An inside look of a desalination plant. Photo from Wikimedia Commons

The largest producer of clean drinking water from desalination is Saudi Arabia, one of the richest countries in the world. They have a population of about 33 million and are home to 32 desalination plants, — about 50%of their water supply is from desalination. Saudi Arabia's population growth has increased their production of desalination in recent years. They have the largest desalination plant that can provide water to about 3.5 million people.

In Maldives, the only sources of freshwater are rain, bottled water and desalinated water. They have already depleted their groundwater sources from large withdrawals. Over 500 thousand people are forced to rely on water imports or desalinization due to the geographic limitations of the islands. In 2014, the Mal Water and Sewerage Company’s desalination plant caught on fire and left over 100,000 people in the City of Male in a water crisis. This disaster proved how reliant they are on desalinized water. Altogether, the population spends up to 50%of their income for safe water. The magnitude in which countries rely on alternative sources of water proves how much we have depleted our natural resources.

These are only a few, of many, countries that show we are needing more water than what is geologically and hydrologically available. Desalination provides a local and reliable source of freshwater to countries in need even though it is ineffective and expensive. The large investments in this technology show how much more freshwater is needed. However, since it is not affordable to all countries, desalinization itself will not fix the water crisis. Inevitably desalination also leads to pollution and environmental degradation to ocean ecosystems. This could lead to more issues in the future.

Ultimately, desalination is not increasing our overall water supply. We are merely converting saltwater reservoirs to freshwater resources. Even if desalination becomes more efficient and affordable, our environment can not sustain ocean water withdrawals forever; the world will still be running out of water. It would be more sustainable to focus on water management practices and reduce water waste. We need to conserve the water we have so we do not deplete all of our resources.

Desalination’s Role in the Water Crisis Op-Ed