Developing Institutional Capacities to Create an Enabling Environment for Water Demand Management in Bahrain

Bahrain is currently facing a serious water crisis due to its limited freshwater resources and overreliance on groundwater aquifers. With the added pressure of a growing population, economic growth, social transformation, and climate change, the availability of natural freshwater has fallen below the absolute water poverty threshold. To tackle this issue, Bahrain is investing in non-conventional water resources, but this alone is not sustainable in the long term due to its high financial and energy costs and potential environmental issues.

The project aims to improve water accountability, efficiency, and conservation to develop an enabling environment for water demand management. This will help reduce water stress, ensure sustainable water management, and benefit future generations.

The project also aims to strengthen the Water Resources Council (WRC) and enhance coordination and collaboration capacity across various government departments, institutions, and agencies responsible for water management. By improving the council’s ability to deliver on its mandate, the project seeks to achieve success in terms of water accountability, efficiency, and conservation.

The project will equip the relevant institutions with the means to conduct water resources monitoring and assessments; generate information and knowledge using relevant analytical tools and models; and provide evidence to support decision-making processes.