From water stress to “water bankruptcy”, experts call for stronger regional cooperation, smarter agriculture and solutions-driven journalism

Water scarcity is no longer a distant environmental warning for North Africa. It is increasingly affecting food production, household water supplies, energy security and, potentially, regional stability.

This was the central message of a webinar on “Water Scarcity, Food Security, and Stability in North Africa”, organized on September 29, 2026, by the African Union of Broadcasting (AUB) in partnership with the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and HEC Montréal.

The webinar brought together scientists, broadcasters and journalists to examine the growing water crisis in North Africa and explore practical solutions, while also considering the critical role of the media in communicating the risks to the public.

Moderated by Ali Mohammed, Deputy Director of News at the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), the session opened with remarks from AUB Director General Grégoire Ndjaka.

Representing the AUB’s 85 member organizations, Ndjaka stressed the historic responsibility of broadcasters and journalists in communicating climate and environmental challenges.

He urged African journalists to strengthen their understanding of increasingly complex climate and water issues through specialized training, enabling them to provide the public with accurate, accessible and actionable information.

Speaking on behalf of UNU-INWEH and HEC Montréal, Dr. Javad Mottaghi also called for stronger collaboration between broadcasters and researchers, including greater cooperation and co-production of field reports capable of bringing scientific evidence closer to communities.

From water stress to “water bankruptcy”

One of the strongest warnings came from Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, Head of Climate and Water Policy for the Middle East at UNU-INWEH.

He argued that parts of North Africa are moving beyond conventional “water stress” into what he described as “water bankruptcy”, a situation in which societies consume water faster than natural systems can replenish it.

For countries facing prolonged drought, declining rainfall and rising temperatures, traditional approaches such as drilling deeper wells or relying exclusively on large dams are becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.

Agriculture is at the centre of the challenge because it consumes the largest share of available water.

The priority, therefore, is increasingly shifting from finding new sources of water to using existing supplies more efficiently, reducing losses and improving conservation.

Tunisia: a country approaching a critical water threshold

The scale of the challenge was illustrated by the situation in Tunisia, where annual renewable freshwater availability has fallen to around 400 cubic metres per person, according to figures presented during the webinar.

The figure is below the 500 cubic metres per person threshold commonly associated with absolute water scarcity.

The problem is compounded by losses within the water distribution system. Around 30 percent of potable water is reportedly lost through ageing and leaking infrastructure before reaching consumers.

Dr. Amel Jrad, a hydrobiology specialist, explained that deteriorating water services and scarcity are also influencing household behaviour, with more people turning to bottled water, increasing the financial burden on consumers.

Agriculture places additional pressure on Tunisia’s limited water resources, accounting for approximately 80 percent of water consumption.

Desalination offers an additional source of freshwater, but it comes with a significant energy requirement. Tunisia’s heavy dependence on imported fossil fuels therefore creates another link between water security, energy security and national economic resilience.

Algeria faces a rapidly shrinking water supply

Algeria is also experiencing significant pressure on its water resources.

During the webinar, experts noted that annual water availability per person has fallen from approximately 1,000 cubic metres to around 500 cubic metres over several decades.

Climate change is adding to the pressure, with rising temperatures and recurring heatwaves increasing evaporation from reservoirs and other surface-water systems.

The combination of declining water availability, higher temperatures and growing demand is forcing policymakers and communities to rethink how water is stored, distributed and consumed.

Turning wastewater into a resource

Despite the severity of the challenge, participants stressed that solutions are available.

One of the options highlighted by Dr. Amel Jrad is the expanded treatment and reuse of wastewater, particularly for agricultural irrigation.

Safely treated wastewater can reduce pressure on freshwater resources while allowing higher-quality freshwater to be reserved for drinking and domestic use.

Desalination is another increasingly important option, particularly for meeting urban drinking-water demand in coastal areas.

However, experts emphasized that technological solutions must be accompanied by better water management, improved infrastructure and more efficient agricultural practices.

Regional cooperation could unlock African solutions

For Hamid Belkessam, a producer with Radio Chaîne III of EPRS, the response to North Africa’s water crisis should also include stronger regional cooperation.

He pointed to the significant freshwater reserves located beneath the Sahara and argued that African countries should explore ways of sharing knowledge, infrastructure and technologies rather than relying exclusively on solutions developed outside the continent.

Regional cooperation could include greater exchange of expertise in areas such as desalination, wastewater treatment, water-efficient agriculture and irrigation.

The experience of cross-border energy infrastructure provides a possible model.

If African countries can cooperate to develop and operate major energy infrastructure across national borders, similar thinking could be applied to water management, technology transfer and regional water-security initiatives.

Smarter agriculture, less waste

Participants also highlighted the potential of relatively simple technologies to transform agricultural water use.

Soil-moisture sensors, for example, can help farmers determine when crops actually require water, reducing unnecessary irrigation.

Modern irrigation systems, improved crop selection and other water-efficient farming practices could significantly reduce pressure on scarce freshwater resources.

Belkessam also highlighted opportunities around alternative crops and locally adapted innovations, including spirulina, as part of a broader conversation about food security and sustainable production.

The media’s role: from alarm to action

Beyond the science and technology, the webinar placed considerable emphasis on the role of journalists and broadcasters.

The challenge for the media is not simply to report that water resources are declining. It is to explain what water scarcity means for ordinary people, including farmers, households, businesses and communities.

This is where solutions journalism becomes important.

Rather than reporting only on the scale of the crisis, journalists can investigate what is working, identify practical responses and give communities information they can use.

For Dr. Mohammed Mahmoud, journalists also need intermediaries capable of translating complex scientific information into language that ordinary audiences can understand.

He referred to these intermediaries as “science whisperers”, professionals who can help bridge the gap between scientists, journalists, policymakers and the public.

Such communication is increasingly important as climate and water information becomes more technical, while misinformation and sensationalism can easily distort public understanding.

From warnings to action

The discussions underscored a growing reality across North Africa: water scarcity is no longer only an environmental issue. It intersects with food security, energy, public health, economic resilience and regional stability.

The challenge now is to move from warnings to practical action, through better water management, investment in infrastructure, wastewater reuse, efficient agriculture, desalination, technological innovation and stronger African cooperation.

For the media, the task is equally important: to ensure that scientific knowledge does not remain confined to laboratories and policy meetings, but reaches the people whose daily lives depend on water.

The question facing North Africa, and the wider African continent, is therefore not simply how much water remains, but how wisely the available water is managed, shared and communicated before scarcity becomes an even deeper crisis.