Establishment of a Gulf Water Interconnection System
At the beginning of my studies at the British Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, the idea of establishing a joint Gulf water interconnection system crystallized in my mind during the early 1990s, following a lecture on water, its importance in life, and future wars. Throughout these years, this idea remained in my thoughts, and I expressed it on X (Twitter) approximately seven years ago. At that time, I was contacted by the Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and I also frequently discussed it with the late Dr. Saleh Al-Ajiri, who pointed out that future wars would be over water.
During this crisis and the current imposed war, I emphasized the importance of water and the Gulf water interconnection. I was subsequently contacted by His Excellency Dr. Sabah Al-Makhzoum, Minister of Electricity and Water, who praised my proposal. Following this, a meeting was held for the first time among the relevant ministers of the GCC member states. The discussion moved from bilateral interconnection to a collective interconnection among all GCC states, examining interconnection points, pumping stations, strategic reservoirs, and minimum supply levels during emergencies. The primary objective is to enhance the resilience of water systems to face desalination plant failures, marine pollution, power outages, and natural disasters. The goal of this concept is to implement the water interconnection in phases, rather than all at once.
What is meant by water interconnection? It is the connection of water transmission networks, strategic reservoirs, and pumping stations between two states first, and then among all states through pipelines and designated exchange points. The objectives of water interconnection are: enhancing Gulf water security by providing an alternative supply source when part of one country’s system fails; increasing the capacity to respond to emergencies such as desalination plant failures, seawater pollution, or power outages; creating a joint regional reserve; and utilizing temporary surpluses in storage and production in one state to support another state in times of need, thereby strengthening Gulf integration in infrastructure, similar to the electricity interconnection.
The expected benefits include strategic security advantages and providing a rapid supply alternative during crises, instead of relying on tanker transport or temporary solutions; and enhancing the capacity of GCC states to handle common risks that may affect member states. Water is the essence of life, and there is no life without water. Our country, Kuwait, has no rivers or other water sources; we rely solely on seawater desalination plants, which form the basis of our water supply.
Matar Obeidallah Al-Daihani
