All the countries of the Mashreq are striving to address groundwater issues at a local and national scale. Looking ahead, there will not only be increasing threats to water security from unplanned and uncoordinated development but also increasing climate risks. There will be a need to draw upon and help push the envelope on national, regional and global good practice in this region to find solutions that are environmentally, socially, and economically substanaible.

The evolving world of disruptive technology can help the countries leapfrog traditional development paradigms. However, this will require a careful analysis of information, institutional/policy and investment “disruptive tech” options to demonstrate and scale-up based on performance and to involve all key stakeholders – government, private sector, academia, civil society and others.

Digital transformation presents a unique opportunity to help Mashreq economies address several social and economic challenges which are stalling the path to sustainable economic growth and inclusive societies. Forums like the Digital Mashreq Forum are a great way to advance the digital transformation agenda in countries of the region. Digital transformation in groundwater monitoring and management will also facilitate better access to data for decision support and innovation for stakeholders and governments.

Groundwater management can be improved through a combination of digital and non-digital technologies that create a tapestry of information, institution, and investment platforms that can lead to a new era of sustainable groundwater management and use. In many ways, the whole world is continuously learning about this rapidly evolving world of disruptive technology that both enables and requires us to think differently – creating new, innovative opportunities to get past traditional challenges that looked unsurmountable, but also creating new challenges in terms of privacy, cybersecurity, obsolescence of traditional jobs, and digital divides. These need to be addressed through continuous awareness of emerging global good practices, scaling-up skills development (also leveraging technology), and creating an enabling foundation (e.g. with open data initiatives, facilitating innovation ecosystems, and public-private partnerships) or risk being on the wrong side of the digital divide.

This interactive e-book provides some illustrative insights and examples into a vast and rapidly-changing space. The following years will undoubtedly see a continuing dramatic exponential acceleration in the evolution, combination, and use of technologies that will continue to “disrupt” the way groundwater is managed in the region and around the world. Continued collaboration among water professionals to share insights and lessons in the Mashreq region and link to global good practices could help accelerate this process.