1.0 INTRODUCTIONThere has been a significant water crisis in various parts of the world in recent years. Only about 3% of the world's water is fresh; therefore, there is relatively little fresh water available in some regions of the world, these regions are called arid and semi-arid regions. FAO (1987, cited in FIDA, nd) defines arid and semi-arid regions as “areas within the precipitation zones of 0 to 300 mm and 300 to 600 mm, respectively.” In other words, arid and semi-arid regions are regions where precipitation is insufficient and rainfall patterns are subject to significant fluctuations. Some arid regions are found in North Africa, South America, parts of Central Asia, and the Middle East, including countries like Kenya, Lesotho, Egypt, and Morocco. Figure 1: Areas experiencing water scarcity in the world. Source: International Water Management Institute. The main problem faced by arid regions is the insufficient amount of precipitation available across the regions and the large variations in the reliability of precipitation regimes. Average rainfall in arid regions varies between 100 and 300 mm per year (FAO, nd), compared to more than 500 mm in other regions of the world. Furthermore, drylands face the problem of shortage of fresh water supplied by rivers and lakes and this shortage has caused health, agricultural and economic problems, for example in Kenya, where "more than 10,000 children die every year of diarrhea caused by unsafe water. and poor sanitation” (WaterAid, nd) and in parts of Central Asia where there is not enough water to grow plants. This report assesses the feasibility of two different water supply techniques: desalination and groundwater pumping; this can be...... middle of paper ...... notes. [online] Available at: [Accessed: March 28, 2014]• WaterAid.org. (2013). Hand dug wells. [online] Available at: [Accessed: March 20, 2014• WaterAid.org (2014). WaterAid UK - Where we work - Kenya. [online]. Available on [Accessed: March 14, 2014].• World Water Resources Assessment Program (2009). The United Nations World Water Development Report 3: Water in a changing world. Paris: UNESCO and London: Earthscan • Zhou, Y. and Tol, RS (2004). Assessment of the cost of desalination and water transportation. [online] Available on: [Consulted: March 20 2014].