Digitalization in water: Key to security in the realm of cyber insecurity risk in the Arab region
Hammou Laamrani
Economic Affairs Officer, Food and Environment Policies section, Climate Change and Natural Resource Sustainability Cluster, United Nations — Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN-ESCWA), Lebanon
https://doi.org/10.5004/700094
Abstract
Over the last decade, the GCC countries and to a lesser extent, the rest of the Arab region has experienced a profound digital transformation, bringing the online population from 28.8% in 2012 to 70.3% in 2022, and the number of internet users to 327 million. The transition to digital economies as reflected in countries’ visions, and the growing trend in planning and building smart cities is reshaping all economic sectors in GCC. Indeed, AI alone is projected to impact the region’s economies to the tune of $320 billion within the next decade. This trend is promoting the growth of a digital economy by fostering innovation, entrepreneurship, and digital skills development. Initiatives such as startup accelerators, innovation hubs, and investment funds support the development of technology-driven industries and digital startups. However, this transition is not advancing equally across sectors, and digitalization in the water sector, though steadily growing remains relatively slower compared to its potential. From a water security perspective, digitalization is rapidly adopted in urban water management and planning (smart metering and monitoring, data analytics and predictive maintenance, remote monitoring and control systems, integrated management systems, cloud computing and IoT integration ...). However, the transition to digitalization in agriculture that is the larger consumer of water resources and that constitutes a threat to nonrenewable groundwater resources in GCC countries and in the Arab region in general is far slower. This is partly due to the existing digital divide and digital literacy between rural and urban contexts.
Keywords: Digitalization in water; Cyber security
