Four of the six Gulf states have been named the countries

most vulnerable to a shortage in water supply, risking disruptions to

operations and investments, risk consultants Maplecroft said.

The oil and gas-rich states Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi

Arabia are at “extreme risk” of interruption to their water supply, topping a

list of 186 nations, the firm said in a report.

With the least available water per capita, Gulf states have

opted to buy up large tracts of farmland in developing countries in a bid to

safeguard their food supplies – a strategy that risks exporting their water shortages

to other nations, analysts said.

“Exporting water stress via ‘land grab’ has significant

implications for companies involved in administering agricultural projects in

foreign lands,” says principal environmental analyst Kimberlee Myers.

“If a business is seen to be overusing water supplies to the

detriment of the local population it is likely to incur significant

reputational damage. Secondly, if water rights are poorly administered this can

lead to absolute water shortages.”

Also squeezing resources will be climate change and

population growth, which is likely to have a snowball effect on the food

security of governments across the world.

One of the most controversial ‘land grabs’ by a GCC country

has been seen in Kenya, following a 2008 deal between Qatar and the African country.

As part of the agreement, Qatar will provide the funds for

construction of a Kenyan deep-water port in exchange for 40,000 hectares of

prime agricultural land on which to grow food for the Qatari market.

Other countries named among the top 10 most at-risk nations

included Libya, Yemen and Jordan. In emerging economies such as India, South

Korea and China, water shortages have the potential to curb economic

development and spur social unrest, the report said.