Middle Eastern cities: Water needs in the twenty-first century.

it is the towns and cities of the Middle East, and not the rural areas, which will be the main creators of wealth in the twenty-first century. It is, therefore, vital that the water needs of these areas are satisfied so that sustained economic development can continue unchecked. In most cases this can be achieved if varying amounts of irrigation water are reallocated to urban usage. While this will put extra strains on rural regions the extra wealth created in the urban areas will more than compensate for such losses. (author's abstract)