MENA
Morocco, Egypt, Gulf states — chronic deficit, high desalination spend.
The Problem
A crisis hidden in plain sight
The world does not lack freshwater.
It lacks the infrastructure to reach it.
2.2B
people lack access to safe drinking water
40%
of global population faces water scarcity
$1T+
annual economic loss from water stress
2050
demand expected to outstrip supply by 40%
Current responses
Why current solutions fall short
Desalination is the most common large-scale response to water scarcity — but at $0.50–$1.50 per cubic metre, it prices out the communities that need it most. It is also energy-intensive: reverse osmosis consumes 3–10 kWh per cubic metre of water produced, making it both expensive and carbon-heavy.
Trucked or bottled water costs even more — often $2–$5 per cubic metre — and cannot reach scale. Onshore surface water is under increasing pressure from climate change, over-extraction, and pollution. None of these are adequate responses to a structural, accelerating global shortage.
| Solution | Cost/m³ | Energy intensity | Scalable? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bottled / trucked | $2–$5 | Very high | No |
| Desalination (avg) | $0.50–$1.50 | High | Limited |
| Onshore groundwater | $0.05–$0.30 | Low | Often yes |
| Offshore freshwater | $0.30–$0.80 est | Low | Yes |
Access to safe water is recognised as a human right by the United Nations. Nobody expects it to be free of charge — but the infrastructure cost to reach it must be driven down if that right is to be meaningful. That is precisely what ATLA is built to do.
Where it bites hardest
The geography of scarcity
Mediterranean
Cyprus, Malta, Spain — EU-funded water security mandates.
West Africa
Namibia, Senegal — OFG potential, DFI capital available.
South / SE Asia
India coastal, Indonesia — fastest-growing demand, existing offshore infrastructure.