If you’ve ever imagined the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as forever sun-drenched and dry, recent flash floods may challenge that mental image. In just the past year, cities across MENA—from Dubai to Amman—have found themselves underwater after sudden, massive storms. These deluges aren’t freak weather—they’re a warning. And they’re finally forcing governments to rethink how cities are built, how water is managed, and how communities can adapt to climate change. We learn from an earthquake in Afghanistan that earthen buildings need to be retrofitted. What more can we learn?

A perfect storm of climate change, rapid urban growth, and geography is worsening flash flood risk across MENA:

• Climate volatility: As temperatures rise, rainstorms become more intense. Dubai recently received double its annual rainfall in just 24 hours—an unprecedented event that shut down airports and submerged neighborhoods. Similar events have struck Oman, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.
• Concrete jungles: Urban sprawl is replacing absorbing soil with impermeable concrete. Cities like Amman and Riyadh lack adequate drainage, causing stormwater to rush into streets rather than soak into the sand and soil.
• Wadi danger zones: MENA’s dry riverbeds—wadis—can become deadly torrents during heavy rainfall. In conflict-ridden places like Libya and Yemen, flash floods worsen humanitarian crises.

Flash floods are no longer seen as once-in-a-lifetime disasters—they’re becoming recurring disruptors that demand new thinking:

• Risk mapping ushers in smarter planning: Oman is actively mapping flood zones, classifying areas into high, medium, and low risk. Officials there are proposing 18 dams in vulnerable wadis to buffer future floods.
• Regional cooperation is emerging: The newly proposed MENA-WaFFNet (MENA Flash Flood Network) aims to unify scientific efforts across countries—Morocco to UAE—improving how flash floods are predicted, monitored, and managed.
• New tools are enabling early warnings: Programs like MEACAM offer real-time flood predictions to governments and communities, helping save lives before waters rise.

These policy shifts—from structural flood controls to science-backed warning systems—can change everything:

• Safer urban design: Building flood-aware infrastructure—like absorptive pavement, green spaces, and smart drainage—can reduce damage and save lives.
• Community resilience: Flood maps, early warnings, and local awareness empower residents to act before disaster strikes.
• Climate readiness: Managing water wisely in flash flood scenarios complements drought planning and secures the delicate balance of desert-edge living.

Flash floods are teaching us that in MENA’s rapidly changing climate, ignoring water management is no longer an option. Every flood is a lesson—and now, that lesson is reaching city halls and planning ministries. Governments are finally acknowledging that deserts can drown. From dams to data networks, policy is finally catching up—and future-proofing may become the norm, not the exception.

The post The Flash Flood Wave Redefining Policy in the MENA Region appeared first on Green Prophet.

But Saudi Arabia recently sentenced nearly two dozen people to prison in connection with the drowning deaths of approximately 100 people. The first two men were convicted one year ago after the 2009 and 2011 floods in Jeddah, and the most recent convictions were announced in local press on Thursday.

In early January of 2011, a record 111mm of rain fell in Jeddah, where annual rainfall rarely exceeds 50 mm. The largest sea port on the magnificent Red Sea and an important commercial hub, the city has a population of 3.2 million.

Images from the flood show cars floating down the road, houses inundated with water, and debris strewn everywhere. And dramatic stories emerged of men and women being saved from drowning, though 100 were not so lucky.

Instead of glossing over the question of why their houses were built in a flood zone in the first place, which is what happens almost everywhere else, the Saudi government went after the culprits.

“A senior municipal official was sentenced to five years in prison,” according to Khaleej Times, “and fined $186,700 for giving permission for people to buy and build houses in areas hit by the floods.”

While this story is unlikely to receive much international attention, this is one of the few cases where developers and government officials have been held responsible for negligence related to the environment.

:: Khaleej Times

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But urban dwellers aren’t celebrating at all. Sections of the central arteries of Tel Aviv, Ayalon Highway and Highway 1, were closed to traffic in both directions and all four of the city’s railway stations are closed, reports Haaretz. Areas north of the Mediterranean city have been swamped as well and authorities are bracing for the real possibility that both the Ayalon and Yarkon rivers will burst their banks.

It has been one of the wettest winters on record for Israel, but according to local reports, rains were fiercest on Tuesday morning and afternoon, and social media has been flooded with images of water inundating coffee shops and other public buildings.

Traffic in the center of Tel Aviv was heavily congested and police are urging drivers to stay home. At least three people have been killed in weather-related vehicular accidents already.

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai said the municipality is preparing for an emergency situation if the two rivers overflow. Funds will be made available to help evacuate residents as necessary and to clear their homes of floodwater.

Power outages were reported throughout Tel Aviv and several telephone lines are on the verge of collapse; even small airports have had to divert flights as a result of the storm.

Trees have been uprooted and many businesses shut down as rain continues to pummel the drenched city.

While the influx of water is seen by many as a godsend for the dry country, floods typically have a deleterious affect on topsoil, and the Yarkon River – Israel’s longest coastal river – has a dubious history of intense pollution.

Like Hurricane Sandy in the northeast USA, the flood in Tel Aviv underscores the importance for better disaster preparedness. Because thanks to climate change, there will be more to come.

:: Haaretz

Image of 2010 flood in Israel by ChameleonsEye, Shutterstock

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Due to the threat of flooding, communities in low-lying valleys in Oman are being encouraged to relocate

It may be a hot and dry country most of the year but Oman, like Saudi Arabia, is prone to flash flooding. In November 2011, around 14 people were reported to have been killed and more than 200 more injured after flash floods hit Oman. The year before, a tropical storm killed 50 people in Oman. Now, Omanis living in places such as Wadi Dayqah are being asked by the government to leave their homes and farmlands behind and relocate to safer areas.

According to a report from Al Jazeera, however, many residents are reluctant to leave. One local explains that they have a flourishing community in the wadi (valley) and have no intentions of abandoning it due to rising fears over flooding. If anything, they want to improve and preserve their community which boasts stunning landscapes and natural biodiversity.

Low-lying areas such as wadis are particularly prone to flooding. In 2010, torrential downpour triggered strong flows in the wadis which trapped people and shut off some areas from cars after the roads were flooded. Residents of the Omani town of Hail Al Ghaf which is near Wadi Dayqah are being encouraged to leave. Hundreds of free homes have been built as well as a mosque and school to tempt them away from the wadi.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAtj03L55Iw]

Plans to control the water flowing through the wadi using dams have been mentioned as a more ‘sustainable’ way of farming and using water. Government authorities insist that they are not asking that farmland be abandoned but rather that they are ‘restructured’. As Al Jazeera reporter Andrew Hopkins explains, however, with rising oil and gas revenue in the country the way of life for Omani people living in the wadis looks set to change.

You can also checkout Al Jazeera’s new environmental programme called ‘Earthrise – An Environment for Solutions‘ which is now in to its eighth episode. All the episodes are available online and cover the issues from an international perspective.

: Image via ringogoingo/flickr.

For more on water issues in Oman see:

Aflaj: Ancient Channels Keep Water Flowing In the Desert

Geoscientists Say Oman is Sinking and Shrinking

New Arabian Humpback Whale Species Located In Oman

The post Communities in Oman Face Growing Risk of Floods appeared first on Green Prophet.

We speak to Muslim green campaigner Sofiah Jamil about the environmental threats facing Southeast Asia and why climate justice alone isn’t enough

Sofiah Jamil is a Singapore-based campaigner who has been working hard to help Muslims living in Southeast Asia connect their faith with environmental issues. As well as setting up ‘Project ME: Muslims + Environment‘ and running The Green Bush blog, her research at Nanyang Technological University focuses on environmental security. Spurred on by her undergraduate studies in Australia where she experienced a higher level of environmental awareness (compared to her concrete and urban home of Singapore), she has studied the implications of forest fires on Indonesia and Malaysia.

In 2009, Sofiah took part in a 6-week programme by the Study of the United States Institute for the Environment to help increase her knowledge and hopes to start her PhD next year at the Australian National University focusing on the topic of Muslim environmental initiatives. Green Prophet spoke to her about the unique environmental risks that the Southeast region faces and the role women can play in dealing with these.

Green Prophet: What the main environmental threats that Southeast Asia faces?

Sofiah Jamil: The Southeast Asian region is a highly complex and diverse region, and the intensity of environmental threats and the capacity available to address them, varies depending where you are. Several countries in the region sit along the Pacific Rim of Fire, and are thus prone to earthquakes, volcano eruptions and tsunamis. Indonesia is a case in point.

Several Southeast Asian countries are also prone to typhoons, such as the Philippines and Vietnam, who on average experience at least 12 typhoons a year. Most countries in the region also experience high levels of rainfall during the monsoon seasons. In addition to this, studies have demonstrated that climate change has in fact increased the intensity and frequency of these weather-related disasters.

The risks you mention above are part and parcel of the environmental context of the region. In what ways have these been aggravated by human factors?

Urbanisation has brought about various environmental issues such groundwater extraction which has resulted in cities sinking (even before we take into account rising sea levels) and the loss of important natural habitats. For example, mangroves that are important natural defences against typhoons and tsunamis have been affected.

This is further exacerbated by trends of population growth. The region is home to at least 3 of the world’s megacities – Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta – and Ho Chi Min City in Vietnam is likely to be a 4th. The question here is whether these cities are able to accommodate the increasing population, which requires more resources as well as more fortified social infrastructure.

There is also increasing rural to urban migration in various parts of Southeast Asia. Informal slums by migrants from rural areas are often situated in areas that are most vulnerable to environmental threats, such as along river banks which overflow during a flood. While there have been attempts to relocate slum dwellers to designated public housing areas, these areas are often far from their sources of economic livelihood, and hence many leave the public housing (and rent it out) while returning back to the slums.

Flooding in megacities is also due to ineffective drainage systems, which are often clogged by thrash either from the slums or from other urban residents. As such, environmental threats in urban areas need to look at the issue holistically by including issues related to urban planning and economic activity. Given the above issues, a main challenge for many countries in the region is figuring out how to address these multiple concerns which can at times happen simultaneously. This was the case for Indonesia last year which experienced an earthquake, tsunami and volcano eruption at the same time.

What are the specific risks facing Singapore and do you get a sense that there is increasing environmental awareness of these risks?

In Singapore, like many other island countries, we are threatened by sea-level rise. More threatening is the fact that more than 90% of our food is imported. Staple items such as rice and vegetables come from neighbouring countries. As such our food security is, to a certain extent, dependent on our neighbours and their ability to address their environmental threats.

What’s more worrying is the fact that most Singaporeans are not aware of these environmental threats. Very few are in touch with nature as more than 90% of our natural habitat has been lost as a result of urban development. Most are happy as long as the supermarket shelves are stocked with the necessary food items, even though prices of food has been increasing lately.

Women are most likely to affected by environmental disasters- does the issue of climate justice motivate you work?

It does to a certain extent, but in some ways I find the concept of climate justice limiting. Climate justice must also demonstrate how it is significant to other existing issues. Not all of the environmental disasters that we experience in this region are climate related. Moreover, it must show how it relates to other forms of justice – such as social justice, which women are still fighting a hard battle for.

For example, when the tsunami happened in Aceh in 2004, it was sad that some sections of society blamed the disaster on women. That the tsunami was a result of vice in Aceh, and that immoral women were part of the problem. Such sort of mentalities, I think, limit societies’ abilities to fully appreciate the resourcefulness of individuals. In fact, many Acehnese women who lost their fishermen husbands at sea during the tsunami had to become the sole breadwinners of their families. Here we see how women play important roles in getting their families back on their feet after environmental disasters.

What really motivates me is the fact that women are not the problem, but rather have the potential to provide solutions to address environmental disasters and more importantly address other socio-economic issues. We just need more women out there to come forward to tell us their stories.

For more interviews with inspiring green Muslims see:

Interview with America’s Leading Green Muslim- Ibrahim Abdul Matin

Naqa’a: Saudi Women For The Environment

Meet The Mexican Muslim Tree Huggers 

The post INTERVIEW: Sofiah Jamil Talks Faith, Women & Climate Justice appeared first on Green Prophet.

From earthquakes to water scarcity, the Middle East faces its fair share of natural disasters but countries are only now starting to take disaster risk reduction seriously

Over the last 25 years, the Arab region has suffered 276 disasters in which 100,000 people died, 1.5 million were left homeless and 10 million affected – yet the region has systematically failed to prioritize disaster preparedness.

This all looks set to change, as for the first time ever the region has a strategy which outlines a commitment to reduce risk and vulnerability for Arab countries. And whilst experts state that the commitment is still low, they have welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

“The region is affected by several hazards: earthquakes, floods, landslides and drought. However, disaster risk reduction has not been a priority for governments until recently,” Luna Abu-Swaireh, regional programme officer at the Cairo office of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), told IRIN.

As part of the commitment to reduce risk, several Middle Eastern countries including Syria, Jordan and Yemen have established a national database which should allow them to estimate the level of risk and improve their response when disaster strikes.

One of the risks the Middle East region faces is that of earthquakes in the Jordan rift valley which extends from the Red Sea, Palestine, the Dead Sea to Lebanon. This puts around two thirds of Jordan’s population, the entire population of Lebanon and the urban Syrian population that lives within 50km of the fault line at risk.

Flooding in places such as Saudi Arabia as well as increasing water scarcity and food security has also increased the vulnerability of Arab populations to disasters. For example, last year a drought in Syria meant that 500,000 people were forced to abandon their homes in east Syria in search of water and food.

Egypt and Morocco will also be developing national disaster loss databases to ramp up their ability to deal with disasters whilst reducing the vulnerability of their populations.

“The impact of disasters on the economics of the Arab countries coupled with the problems they are already facing in terms of poverty, etc., makes it a challenge to engage in disaster risk,” Abu-Swaireh explained. “You need to work today on disaster reduction, to make sure your system does not collapse in the face of a disaster.”

The UNISDR has plans to bring together the relevant governments, civil society organisations and businesses at the end of 2011 to help them translate policy into action and increase investment in risk reduction.

:: Image via nimboo/flickr.

:IRIN

For more on natural disasters in the Middle East see:

Arab Scientists Model Red Sea and Persian Gulf To Stop Flash Floods

Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticizing Lack of Flood Protection

500,000 Syrians Flee Drought-Stricken Zone

The post Middle East Countries Prepare For Natural Disasters appeared first on Green Prophet.

1,000 cars have been donated by the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation to the recent Jeddah flood victims

Heavy rainfall in Jeddah in Saudi this January led to the deaths of a reported four people and left hundreds more families stranded and distraught as they dealt with the flood. Although the floods in 2010 did not cause the same level of destruction as the 2009 floods which left over 120 dead, many Saudis feel that the city’s flood protection remains inadequate.

So whilst the donation of 1,000 cars will no doubt be valuable to the victims of the floods, what is really needed is clear policy and plan of action to improve Jeddah’s flood defenses.

I have previously reported in the issue of flooding in Jeddah and concerns by citizens that not enough is been to done to combat the causes.  A short documentary was released in February by a group of influential figures in the region highlighting the slow clean-up following the floods.

Writer Ahmad Al-Shugari called for a solution which would ensure an end to the floods, a timescale for action as well an estimate of the cost of the efforts to improve flood protection.

In response to the floods, ten thousand household items have been donated to the victims by the Alwaleed bin Talal Foundation and distribution began at the start of this month.

Donations to the people of Jeddah consist of 4,200 air conditioning machines, 1,300+ washing machines, 2,000 cookers, 2,400 refrigerators and 600+ carpets.

Charities included Al Bir Association, Al Faisaliya Women’s Charity, Alahya Centers, the Women’s Charity Association and Almustawda’ Alkahiri have also been providing food for the affected victims, as well as assistance in rebuilding their homes.

Let’s hope that alongside these generous donations emerges a clear plan to help improve the city’s flood protection, which will ultimately better serve the victims.

:: Image via Arab News.

For more on Saudi’s green news see:

Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticizing Lack of Flood Protection

Four Steps to a Greener Hajj (part 3)

Saudi’s Soaring Construction Industry Could Negate Costly Water Investment

The post Flood Victims Get New Cars in Saudi appeared first on Green Prophet.

The short documentary highlights the lack of adequate flood protection in Saudi, after floods killed four this winter and left over 120 people dead in 2009

Whilst the world deals with the recent Wikileak revelations that Saudi exaggerated its oil supplies by 40%, local Saudi citizens have got together to deal with a more pressing issue for them: recurrent and deadly floods. Just this winter four people were killed after heavy rains, electricity was cut off in parts of Saudi’s second largest city of Jeddah and many feared a repeat of the serious flooding of 2009 that killed 122 people.

A group of concerned citizens from Jeddah have released a documentary (in Arabic only, I’m afraid) on the difficulties locals have faced in dealing with recent flood that hit Jeddah. Insisting that the floods are man-made, they have put forward suggestions to help avoid heavy losses in future.

The documentary, which is titled The Gateway to the Two Holy Mosques, was uploaded to youtube on February 11 and has already been viewed over 150,000 times. It appeals to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to take action and save the city from corrupt or inefficient government officials. There have been complaints after the slow clean-up of central Jeddah which was devastated by a toxic mix of raw sewage and rainwater this January.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sCl9XGA2Ao&feature=player_embedded[/youtube]

Featuring the likes of Abdullah Omar Naseef, the former secretary-general of the Muslim League and Dr. Waleed Fitaiha, the documentary holds a lot of authority and is already gathering attention. In the documentary the writer Ahmad Al-Shugari asks for a solution which will ensure an end to the floods, a timescale for action as well an estimate of the cost of the efforts to improve flood protection.

Surrounding countries such as Oman also face the issue of flooding and have recently announced a major flood protection system to secure the suburbs of Muscat, which suffered from severe flooding during the recent cyclonic storms. Let’s hope that Saudi takes time not only to learn from its neighbours but also to listen to its citizens so it can resolve this issue once and for all.

: Arab News

:: Image via Abusaleh on Picasa.

For more green news from Saudi Arabia see:

Wikileaks: Former Aramco Head Warns US About Saudi’s Strained Oil Production

MENA’s Top Five Ideal Countries for Solar Energy Generation

Could a Political Crisis in Saudi Arabia Spur a World Shift to Green Fuel?

The post Saudi Citizens Release Documentary Criticising Lack of Flood Protection appeared first on Green Prophet.

When the Green Prophet article about road trains in Australia was posted back in April 2010, the Down Under continent looked a lot different than it does presently. After suffering one of its worst droughts in recent times, large portions on Australia’s state of Queensland is now under water; including parts of Brisbane, Australia’s third largest city.

Climate change, which many scientists attribute to be a consequence of global warming, is already wracking havoc in many parts of the world; and unfortunately, the continent of Australia is experiencing more than its share of environmental disasters, including large scale brush and forest fires which devastated large parts of New South Wales and Victoria states. Australia’s central desert region, known “fondly” by locals as the Outback has escaped both the ravages of fire and water, simply because there’s not much there to burn and virtually no water. Brisbane, which is beginning to look like the American city of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, will take a long time to recover from these floods, which could become more common due to large scale weather changes.

Flash flooding near Istanbul

Here in the Middle East, large sections have also been affected by climate change, including Egypt’s Nile River delta region, in which millions of Egyptians are already being affected by drought and rising sea levels.

Turkey recently experienced some serious flash flooding which killed several people and caused considerable property damage. The combination of heavy rains and incoming tides created a situation similar to that presently happening in Queensland – especially in Brisbane.

Other regional areas affected by climate change include Cyprus, now suffering from severe drought, as well as water shortage problems in Syria, causing half a million people to flee from drought stricken zones.

Both Israel and Lebanon have had their share of disastrous forest and brush fires due to lack of adequate rainfall; with Israel suffering its worst wildfire in history on the Carmel mountain range.

Dry Middle East looks more like this

Road trains (where cars connect like one long train to save fuel) in the Middle East could work very well in countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Libya, all of which have large desert areas, and would result in savings of fuel by having less individual trucks on the roads.

Although the Middle East is unlikely to experience the flooding that Australia is now awash with, there are enough climate change connected ecological problems to be concerned about.

:: Sydney Daily Telegraph

Read more on unusual weather patterns in the Middle East caused by climate change:

12 Million Egyptians to be Affected by Climate Change

Rethinking Climate Change Under the Middle East Sun

Arab World and Mediterranean Regions More Vulnerable to Climate Change

The post Road Trains Take on a New Look in Waterlogged Queensland Australia appeared first on Green Prophet.

Drought and floods are on different sides of the same coin, both equally devastating. Pakistan’s cries for help are being heard throughout the world while the rest of us, particularly in the Middle Eastern desert regions, are simply waiting for our turn. Yemen is close to being waterless. The Jordan River is close to dying altogether, and Jordan the country suffers one of the world’s worst water shortages. In the northern part of the country, the situation is getting serious. In the past, African cultures used to dance in order to open the skies, but Jordanian officials are studying Thai techniques that artificially stimulate clouds and make them produce rain.

Silver lining

Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej developed the rainmaking technology in 1969: releasing silver iodide chemicals from an aircraft into clouds at various altitudes, stimulates them to produce precipitation. This process is called “seeding.”

In 2005, according to The Independent, 70/76 of Thailand’s provinces suffered a devastating drought. In response, the King sent 17 planes from 22 cloud-seeding bases around the country in order to tickle the skies and dampen the lands.

That same technology is now being incorporated, with permission from the King who holds an International patent, in Australia, New Zealand, Oman, Tanzania, and since 2009, Jordan.

Rainmaker

“A delegation from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation visited Thailand in July to study artificial rainmaking technology with Thailand’s bureau of royal rainmaking and agricultural aviation, and is currently assessing ways to adopt the technology in Jordan,” Thailand’s Ambassador to Jordan, Mr. Isinthorn Sornvai told the Jordan Times.

At present, Jordan citizens consume 150 cubic meters of water per year; the international acceptable average is 1,000 cubic meters. That amounts to an annual deficit of 500 million cubic meters, according to reporter Mohammad Ghazal.

“We are not talking about commercial activity here. We are talking about water, which is the source of life. At some point, food security will be the top priority for all countries and this technique will be important to boosting agriculture,” the Thai embassy’s press officer Jesda Tivayanond told the paper.

:: image kevindooley and story via Jordan Times

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