The average country makes up an annual 300 MCM shortfall by pumping aquifers. As aquifers are overdrawn, saltwater intrudes into the aquifer. As a result, most Middle Eastern countries use desalinization to improve the quality of the groundwater or treat seawater. The situation has severely limited economic and political stability of the Middle East. Not only are pumping and desalinization expensive, they have a disastrous impact on the environment.
Imported water is the only alternative solution to their severe water shortage.
Importing water has been the solution in many US cities including Los Angeles, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, which established large-scale economies due to the availability of imported water. This can soon be the solution for the Middle East. It is the second largest river in the world, surpassed only to the Amazon in South America. The Congo River has a median discharge of 35,000 cubic meters per second. The Okapi Pipeline will be designed to transport only a small percentage of the available water and will not negatively impact the ecosystem of the Congo River Basin.