“…Kuwait's "sudden" decision may have been spurred by alarming news when, on one day toward the end of September 2013, water consumption in Kuwait reached 425 million imperial gallons, which exceeded the volume produced for that day, 411 million imperial gallons ( Kuwait Times 2013 ). A frequent recurrence of defi cient water supply could draw down the country's limited strategic reserve of seven days (Amery 2015 ). In short, even though Gulf states like Kuwait fi nd the lifting of water subsidies to be too politically controversial to tackle head-on, they have been pursuing alternative methods to remind consumers of the value of freshwater supplies in the hopes of curbing consumption.…”