Three Gaza strip smugglers were killed when wastewater leaked into a tunnel, causing it to collapse. Little is said about the drama that unfolds beneath Gaza each day, where many Palestinians continue to smuggle goods in from Egypt to the Strip. Although the Rafah border crossing was re-opened earlier this year and people can travel […]
Water conservation policies are being promoted in the naturally water poor nation of United Arab Emirates Considering that the United Arab Emirates is located in harsh and arid desert, the fact that the average resident uses around 364 liters of water a day – way above the global average of 200 litres- is surprising. Natural […]
Water rich or water poor? Doomed by desalination or dealing with the problem? Get the facts on Israel’s water situation. Following my latest post on water recycling and desalination in Israel, some commentators have raised questions about the seemingly contradictory facts on Israel and water. Whilst the Israeli water authority constantly warns of a water […]
When is energy-intensive desalination a last resort? One of humankind’s worst tragedies is currently unfolding in the Horn of Africa, and it is caused by the absence of water. Two years of failed rain, and subsequent drought and famine, is responsible for the daily deaths of roughly 2,000 people in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. According to […]
Right in the middle of a crowded tourist destination, a sewage drain overflowed and no one rushed to the scene to clean it up! Last night, hundreds of tourists that descended upon the popular La place Jemâa el Fna in Marrakech were greeted with a stinking treat. Right next to the open air restaurant that […]
To coincide with World Water Day, we take a look at a wastewater project planned for Palestine’s green city The Arab region is believed to be one of the driest in the world– 70% of the land is dry and rainfall is sparse and the effects of climate change will only exacerbate the situation. As today […]
Saudi Arabia is investing huge sums to diversify its water supply, while at the same time fanning a booming construction industry. Will the latter negate the former? Desertification, depletion of underground water sources, and lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies are among Saudia Arabia’s greatest environmental challenges. In part, these are being met […]
Abu Dhabi leads the Gulf Region in environmental innovation. This time, a desert forest irrigated with treated wastewater. Last year we were somewhat alarmed that the UAE had ambitions to plant one million trees. Even though the carbon sponging benefits are potentially enormous, the water required to keep said trees alive might have overwhelmed the […]
The issue of raw sewage may not be hitting the headlines in the Middle East like concerns over water scarcity, but in the Palestinian territories and Israel it’s a real problem. Inadequate waste water treatment plants in the Palestinian territories means that only 22.5 million cubic metres out of around 150 million cubic metres of […]
Scared of a little moo in your water? Don’t worry, you won’t have to drink it just yet. With all the toxins (many of us) release into our bodies through processed foods, pharmaceuticals, skincare products and even pollutants that creep into our pores, our waste is a veritable witches brew. The same goes for livestock […]
Using constructed wetlands is one alternative to be addressed at the IQPC wastewater conference in Cairo this October. As Egypt’s population increases, it puts pressure on the country’s main water source: the Nile River. In addition to general pollution from agricultural runoff and other pollutants, the recent diesel spill north of Aswan demonstrates the challenges […]
$5 Billion couldn’t put their country back together; will Iraqis be able to pick up the pieces? What is more wasteful than war? Bomb a place, destroy its infrastructure so that ordinary citizens lack basic services, topple a few monuments important to the national identity targeted, kill several thousand people, including approximately 100,000 civilians according […]