{"id":127436,"date":"2026-07-22T06:26:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alj.com\/?post_type=perspective&p=127436"},"modified":"2026-07-22T06:26:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-22T06:26:55","slug":"why-does-drought-keep-escalating-despite-the-strong-case-for-prevention","status":"publish","type":"perspective","link":"https:\/\/alj.com\/en\/perspective\/why-does-drought-keep-escalating-despite-the-strong-case-for-prevention\/","title":{"rendered":"Why does drought keep escalating despite the strong case for prevention?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drought has traditionally been treated as a localized, seasonal problem: an agricultural setback to be endured in a difficult year and recovered from in the next.\u00a0 That framing no longer reflects reality.\u00a0 The area of land affected by drought<\/a> has doubled since 1900, and around 40% of the world’s land surface now experiences more frequent and more intense dry spells[1]<\/a>, with knock-on effects on food security<\/a>, energy generation<\/a>, trade<\/a> and public health<\/a>.\u00a0 The persistence and growing severity of these impacts point to a deeper question about how societies anticipate, finance<\/a> and manage water risk.<\/p>\n

\"Carlos
Carlos Cosin
Chief Executive Officer
Almar Water Solutions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Carlos Cos\u00edn<\/a>, Chief Executive Officer, ALMAR Water Solutions<\/a> (part of Jameel Environmental Services<\/a>), argues that the central failing is the outdated approach taken to water risk: water systems are still managed reactively, responding to drought once it arrives, rather than proactively building resilience long before reservoirs run low.<\/p>\n

Drawing on the findings of the OECD<\/a>‘s Global Drought Outlook<\/em><\/a>, he believes that drought has become a systemic, cross-sectoral risk that must be priced, planned for and engineered against in advance.<\/p>\n

As climate pressures<\/a> intensify, Carlos says the response to drought will increasingly define the economic stability, sustainability and integrity of the societies managing it.<\/p>\n

The response to drought will increasingly define the economic stability, sustainability and integrity of the societies managing it.<\/h4>\n

ALMAR <\/a>Water Solutions, part of Jameel Environmental Services, is on the frontline of this evolving environment. \u00a0ALMAR was established in 2016 with a mission to improve the world’s water security, particularly for the most vulnerable global communities. \u00a0A decade later, it manages a portfolio<\/a> of desalination, wastewater treatment, reuse and recycling programs.\u00a0 With a growing portfolio of projects across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific., ALMAR designs, structures financing and operates systems across the full water cycle<\/a> – from desalination and purification to wastewater treatment, reuse, distribution networks, and long-term operation and maintenance.<\/p>\n

In this Q&A, Carlos reflects on why drought has become so difficult to confront, why water remains chronically undervalued, and what a shift from reactive crisis management to long-term resilience would require of governments, industry and finance.<\/p>\n

Q: The OECD’s Global Drought Outlook<\/em> puts drought near the top of the climate-risk list. Why do you think it may be the hardest of these threats to confront?<\/h2>\n

\"\"Drought is hard to confront because it’s so easy to miss.<\/p>\n

We frequently experience dramatic climate disruptions that have a sudden, visible impact, but drought doesn\u2019t work like that.<\/p>\n

A hurricane or a flood announces itself immediately.\u00a0 A drought just quietly settles in.<\/p>\n

The land dries out, livelihoods erode, economies suffer and ecosystems start to fail, and none of it comes with a single dramatic moment you can point to. \u00a0Water scarcity is a much bigger problem than drought alone, but drought is the part ordinary people actually feel.<\/p>\n

As the OECD report makes clear: this isn’t some worrying future scenario. It’s happening right now, all around us.<\/p>\n

Drought: What are the numbers that matter?<\/h2>\n