Water is a first sign of life. It is an essential sector and is undoubtedly one of our most precious natural resources. It is, however, one that is becoming a scarcity in many parts of the world. There are parching disparities between available water resources and market demand. And we must read the signs: many countries will face water deficits within the 25 years to come.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), one of the world's most arid regions, this imbalance already exists because of the demographic outburst of the twentieth century. Over the last 30 years, the area's population has doubled to about 280 million and water demand for domestic, industrial and agricultural uses has grown in proportion. Countries in the MENA overexploit their ground waters. The pollution of freshwater resources with fertilizers and pesticides as well as the dumping of industrial wastewater are just some of the factors fuelling the progressive degradation of freshwater resources.

To the discerning eye, the time has come to re-shape the MENA water policies in order to face right-on the challenges posed by water shortages. The biggest setback lurking in the distance is how to rapidly turn around existing patterns of water use to adapt to the perpetually deepening water gap. This wholly depends on the perception that gatekeepers, i.e. international donors, government officials, have of water since these are the enforcers of action.

Over the course of 30 years, Arab Water World (AWW) magazine has taken up the challenge of serving the water, wastewater, irrigation, and energy sectors in the MENA region, probing water policies and water use and management. The magazine strategically mobilizes governments, institutions and, by and large, people, to use water more wisely through reducing, for example, the quota allocated to agriculture, to make a more efficient use of water in order to reap the most value from it, and, finally, to pass bills and develop institutions and regulatory frameworks in order to implement water strategies.

AWW will always bridge the gap between highly advanced countries and technically-challenged ones by being an information provider and a reference on all water issues in the Middle East and North Africa through its comprehensive articles and up-to-date editorial content. The editorial team steadfastly serves the water industry by being the sole bilingual siren of the region, since AWW is published in English & Arabic, to provide maximum exposure to MENA readers.