The Role of Water Endowment in Enhancing Sustainable Water Security

Abstract

Water scarcity is among the most pressing global challenges, with direct implications for human well-being, economic development, and environmental sustainability. Achieving sustainable water security requires the adoption of innovative and inclusive mechanisms that ensure equitable access to water, efficient management, and long-term preservation of water resources. Water endowment is a form of charity through which the endower seeks to engage in acts of benevolence by dedicating certain water resources to a public or private beneficiary, with the intention of drawing closer to Allah the Almighty. Water endowment constitutes a developmental mechanism that enhances water security through the sustainability of endowment and the continuity of public benefit. It makes use of natural resources in a manner that safeguards the interests of the waqf, preserves its principal, and ensures the continuity of its benefits. This is achieved by adopting methods that produce and utilize water resources to guarantee their benefit and sustainability. Hence, it contributes to the realization of water security, particularly in view of the contemporary environmental reality characterized by the depletion of water resources and the disruption of their ecological balance. The significance of this study lies in the need to revive the practice of water endowment, to reinvest in it through renewed approaches, to draw attention towards examining its foundations, developing its mechanisms in line with modern regulatory frameworks, and proposing ways to activate it within contemporary societies, thereby benefiting from this authentic civilizational heritage. This study has adopted a qualitative approach to examine the role of water endowment in enhancing sustainable water security through a review and analysis of relevant studies addressing its conceptual foundations, historical significance, challenges, and contemporary applications. The findings indicate that integrating water endowment into national water strategies and development policies can complement governmental efforts and contribute to the achievement of sustainable water security.