Methodology
Methodology & sources
How the content and data on this platform are compiled, checked and kept current.
Approach
MENA Water Review is a secondary-source platform: it does not generate primary hydrological data. Figures are compiled, reconciled and presented from public institutional sources, and an official or peer-reviewed number is always preferred over a press number. Where sources disagree, the range or the most recent authoritative figure is stated. Where a figure is an estimate, the page says so.
How citations work
Country profiles and knowledge hubs carry numbered footnotes: a superscript marker in the text links to the numbered source at the foot of the page. Every page also lists the shared datasets its dashboard draws on: FAO AQUASTAT, World Bank indicators, the Worldwide Governance Indicators and WRI Aqueduct 4.0. A figure without its own marker is attributable to those. Where sources disagree we state the range; where a figure is an estimate, the page says so.
Sources by section
| Section | Principal sources | Update cycle |
|---|---|---|
| Country hubs | Ministry and utility statistics, national water strategies, development-bank project documents, peer-reviewed literature, and the public reporting of FAO AQUASTAT and the World Bank. | Revised as major datasets or policies change |
| Interactive maps | Natural Earth (borders, governorates, lakes, relief), WorldClim 2.1 climatology, Digital Chart of the World drainage, MWI/JVA published figures. Per-layer citations under each map view and in the map sources file. | Rebuilt with each content update |
| Major projects register | Public announcements: developer and EPC press releases, development-bank project pages (World Bank, EBRD, AfDB, IsDB, EIB, KfW, AFD, JICA), utility procurement portals (SWPC, OPWP, EWEC) and trade press (MEED, GWI, Utilities ME, Water Technology). | Reviewed with each update |
| PPP pipeline & awards | Curated from the procuring bodies' own publications (Sharakat/SWPC, EWEC, Nama PWP, KAPP, Ashghal, ONEE, Egypt's PPP Central Unit and TSFE) and corroborating trade press. Each row names its source and the month it was last verified. Pipeline rows carry a procurement stage and an expected-award window rather than a deadline, so the page does not go stale between reviews. The awards log combines curated wins with everything past award in the major projects register. | Reviewed quarterly |
| Donor tender notices | An automated feed of World Bank procurement notices mentioning water, shown as a secondary list on the procurement page. Covers World Bank borrower countries only, so there is no Gulf coverage. Deadlines as published; expired notices move to the closed list automatically. | Refreshed on each build |
| Funding tracker | Publicly reported commitments of the institutions listed; figures are indicative programme volumes, not audited totals. | Reviewed periodically |
| Intelligence | Technology briefs are evergreen and drawn from the sources cited on each brief; market briefings are dated and compiled from the quarterly procurement review, procurer publications and trade reporting. | Briefs reviewed with each update; briefings quarterly |
| Dashboards & hub data | Aggregated from the above plus UN, FAO AQUASTAT and World Bank indicator series; each chart states its source and year. | With each content update |
Accuracy & corrections
Budgets, capacities and dates for projects and tenders reflect public reporting at the time of the last update and can change as projects are re-scoped. If you spot an error, tell us: editor@waterinthemena.com, and corrections are applied at the next update.
How to cite
Content may be quoted and charts reused for non-commercial research, journalism and education with attribution:
MENA Water Review (2026), “[page title]”, waterinthemena.com, accessed [date].
Commercial re-use of the databases (bulk extraction or republication) requires written permission. The underlying third-party datasets (Natural Earth, WorldClim, FAO, etc.) remain under their own licences.
Photography
The homepage photograph is the falaj at Misfat al Abriyeen, Oman, © Andy Arbeit, via Unsplash.
Most photography on the platform is licensed directly or drawn from Unsplash. The following images are used under Creative Commons licences and remain under those licences; the photographer is credited here and the licence links from the file page on Wikimedia Commons.
- Desalination hub — aerial view of the Victorian Desalination Plant, Australia. © JoelCarterRamadge, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Dams, Storage & Conveyance hub — the Aswan High Dam, Egypt. © Sigurd Gartmann, CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Water Conflict, Cooperation & Diplomacy hub — the Atatürk Dam on the Euphrates, Türkiye. © Alen Ištoković, CC BY 3.0.
- Finance & Economics hub — the Riyadh skyline and King Abdullah Financial District. © B.alotaby, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Images used in the visual stories are credited at the foot of each story.
Data last updated: 29 September 2026.