[TUNIS, TUNISIA, SciDev.Net] Critical water projects in the Middle East face an uncertain future following the withdrawal of funding from the US and other international donors, a SciDev.Net investigation has found. “The US provides nearly 40 per cent of all international aid,” explains Issam Khatib, an international expert in sustainable development. “This makes any new water project a strategic necessity,” says Walid Saleh, senior programme officer at the regional office for the Near East and North Africa of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. “This is a result of successive waves of displacement and asylum since the beginning of the last century, which has led to an increase in demand for water that exceeds the state’s capabilities.’USAID was one of the main supporters of water projects in Jordan, especially infrastructure projects for reducing water loss. This article was produced by SciDev.Net’s regional office in the Middle East and North Africa and edited for brevity and clarity.