The health and socioeconomic impacts as well as the conflicts over water are only going to escalate as water supplies decline. The question now becomes how do we provide water to the people living in a vast arid desert? Few regions in the world have abundant freshwater supplies to share with MENA in light of their own growing populations, even if there was a practical and cost effective method of importing this water. Though there is no abundance of freshwater in the region, there are large quantities of salt water. The Middle East and North Africa border the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea as well as the Indian Ocean. Salt water cannot be used in the place of freshwater for human consumption or irrigation of crops because of the high quantities of salt and dissolved solutes which dehydrate organisms. Scientists have, however, discovered ways to desalinate seawater, removing the salt so that seawater is able to be used by people. Presently, researchers are working to reduce the water shortage in the Middle East and North Africa by improving existing desalination methods. Reverse osmosis and distillation are currently not cost effective and fall short of maximum efficiency. By seeking methods to advance filtration efficiency, treat the pre-treatment feedwater and reduce energy consumption, scientists are able to improve the desalination processes. Some of the technologies that can provide clean drinking water include:

• Nanofiltration
• Nanomembranes
• Desalination