The Gulf Cooperation Council Interconnection Authority organized a workshop in partnership with the GCC Secretariat to examine the feasibility of water interconnection projects linking member states, with Kuwait represented by its Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy. Experts in water infrastructure and security from across the region attended the sessions that featured a consulting firm’s presentation on the initial phase of related studies. That phase assessed current water supply systems and the limited interconnections already in place among the six GCC countries, according to summaries from the authority.
Former Minister of Electricity and Water Mohammad Boushehri told participants that Gulf water interconnection has become an urgent requirement given prevailing conditions across the region. Boushehri explained that water security depends on accessing diverse sources, including the Red Sea via Saudi Arabia and the Arabian Sea through Oman, rather than depending solely on the Arabian Gulf. The former minister referenced a detailed study under way by a French company and recalled earlier decisions from 2016 and 2017 that called for an initial bilateral connection between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before expanding to remaining members.
Boushehri indicated that the authority’s workshop directly responds to directives issued by GCC leaders at their 19th Consultative Meeting. The gathering built on the precedent of the region’s operational electrical interconnection grid, which has shown the bloc’s ability to execute joint infrastructure initiatives successfully. Such projects gain added significance as the Gulf confronts both climatic extremes and heightened geopolitical tensions.
Environmental activist Dr. Fnees Al-Ajmi called for rapid progress on the water interconnection scheme, citing recent attacks against GCC countries as a compelling reason for action. Al-Ajmi pointed to the electrical interconnection project’s achievements as evidence that member states can overcome shared challenges, including temperatures that frequently surpass 50 degrees Celsius and largely arid landscapes. The activist described the water link as vital for diversifying supplies and supporting seawater desalination plants that supply the bulk of drinking water throughout the bloc.
Al-Ajmi proposed building dams and rainwater collection reservoirs to harness occasional flows and thereby lessen dependence on energy-intensive desalination. The Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, together with the Kuwait Water Company, maintains focus on delivering safe potable water through existing facilities, according to the activist’s remarks at the workshop. These steps form part of ongoing national and regional efforts to manage resources in one of the planet’s most water-stressed areas.
A Council on Foreign Relations backgrounder notes that 15 of the world’s 20 most water-scarce countries lie in the MENA region, where Gulf states rely on desalination for the majority of their fresh water. A Carnegie Endowment for International Peace analysis published in May 2026 found that water infrastructure including desalination plants has been targeted during the U.S.-Iran conflict, elevating risks to civilian supplies. The Middle East Institute has stated that stronger regional cooperation on water issues is necessary to reduce exposure to conflict-driven disruptions and related threats.
