Every Drop Counts: How Digital Innovation Can Address the Middle East’s Water Crisis

By: Nadine Guerfi, KAP Business Development Executive

The Water Crisis and the Middle East

Water is at the epicentre of global environmental, humanitarian and geopolitical crises, with 2 billion people at risk of a ‘Day Zero’ referring to the day when the taps ‘go dry’. Across the Middle East, water scarcity is driven by a combination of climatic conditions, population growth and inefficient consumption. Most notably in the GCC countries, the average per capita water consumption reaches 550 litres per day, which is significantly higher than the global average of 180 litres per day. Such levels are unsustainable given the region’s limited natural freshwater resources and dependence on energy-intensive desalination. A critical issue underlying this crisis is the information asymmetry in water usage: most consumers and institutions lack clear visibility into how much water they use, where inefficiencies lie, or how their behaviour contributes to systemic waste.

Showerkap: Bridging Behavioural Insight and Systemic Efficiency

Showerkap is a technology company working at the intersection of behavioural science, engineering and sustainability; innovating how businesses monitor, manage and use water and energy. Its core innovation lies in a compact device that connects to flow meters and transmits water usage data in real-time to a cloud-based platform and mobile application. This enables remote monitoring of water flow, temperature and safety across facilities: from hotels and universities to gyms, housing developments and public institutions.

Using AI-driven analytics, the system generates customised reports that reveal usage patterns, identify waste and suggest behavioural interventions. For example, building managers can detect anomalies such as leaks or excessive flow rates, while users are nudged toward water-saving habits through feedback and visual data. This approach transforms water into a visible, measurable and optimisable resource.

Aligning Behaviour Change with Systemic Change

Steve Harding, Showerkap CEO and founder, commented: “Our plan is to partner with visionary and forward-thinking organisations in the Middle East, committed to operating in the most environmentally-friendly way to protect their communities and businesses from water scarcity, by harnessing the latest smart water management technology.

We know that by 2050, every single country in the Middle East and North Africa will live under extremely high water stress and in recent years, the global water crisis has threatened major tourist destinations.  We believe that innovation can empower people and provide the tools they need to address the issue of water conservation.
Our business strategy for the region is to focus on some of the biggest water consumers, like hotels, enabling them to monitor and conserve water usage in one easy platform and app. The goal is to motivate rather than force people to change, and to incentivise users with rewards and discounts, helping to create a ripple effect for other sustainable choices.

We’ve overcome the challenge of changing behaviours before – with reducing plastic use and waste. As a purpose-led startup, we are well-positioned to bring about breakthrough solutions to some of the world's biggest problems.”

ShowerKap’s innovative water-monitoring technology offers a scalable, data-driven solution to water scarcity in the Middle East, by aligning behavioural change with systemic efficiency.

Tourism facilities, particularly in water-scarce regions, can consume up to eight times more water per capita than the local population. Yet few businesses have the tools to track this usage effectively or drive behaviour change among staff and guests. Showerkap addresses this gap by integrating behavioural nudges such as personalised dashboards, real-time usage feedback and performance benchmarking, into a broader system of water governance.

This fusion of behavioural insight with engineering solutions not only improves operational efficiency but also cultivates a culture of conservation. When scaled across sectors and cities, such interventions can reshape the norms and systems that underpin water consumption. It allows water monitoring to inform behaviour change at the individual and organisational level and systemic change sector-wide.

As water scarcity accelerates, now is the time for businesses, municipalities and developers across the Middle East to invest in smart water solutions. ShowerKap offers more than a product: it offers a paradigm shift. One that turns insight into action and scarcity into sustainability.

Making Every Drop Count: Innovation for SDG 6

Showerkap’s work exemplifies how digital innovation can help deliver Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, particularly in regions under acute water stress like the Middle East. In a context where every drop matters, data becomes a critical enabler of change. Solutions like Showerkap offer a path forward: where water is not just consumed, but stewarded. By reducing information asymmetry, optimising consumption and promoting informed and responsible behaviour, this technology enables both immediate resource savings and long-term systemic resilience, one drop at a time…