You're talking about it as if desalination alone would be expected to entirely reverse the water loss of the region, as opposed to it being one aspect of a holi

You're talking about it as if desalination alone would be expected to entirely reverse the water loss of the region, as opposed to it being one aspect of a holistic approach to the problem. Desalination can absolutely make a huge difference, here and in many other places, if we can get it refined to the point that it's (relatively) cheap to run (both in money and in other resources). That doesn't mean we shouldn't stop growing almonds in a desert.