Reuters details Gulf's dependence on desalination here: In the United Arab Emirates, desalinated water accounts for more than 80% of potable water. Bahrain became fully reliant on desalinated water in 2016, with 100% of groundwater reserved for contingency plans, authorities have said. Qatar is 100% dependent on desalinated water. Desalination supplies 90% of Kuwait's residential water needs. Oman is 86% reliant on desalination for its people's needs. In Saudi Arabia, a much larger nation with a greater reserve of natural groundwater, about 50% of the distributed water supply came from desalinated water as of 2023, according to the General Authority for Statistics. Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE combined produce around a third of the world's desalinated water and are home to many of its largest desalination plants. The six countries, which form the Gulf Cooperation Council, have a combined population estimated by the U.N. to have topped 61 mill...