A mental health hospital in Bethlehem is completely without water, and the mayor has been buying his own. Can Israel, Jordan and the PA make hydro peace? A Palestinian water and environmental engineer from Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME), Nader al-Khateeb recently discovered that the mayor is among many in Bethlehem who have […]
Libya’s government forces could use their control over enormous water reserves as a weapon in the current conflict between Gaddafi and rebels trying to overthrow his regime The ‘Great Man-Made River’, a great civil water works project dubbed by Gaddafi as the 8th wonder of the world, was built to resolve Libya’s severe water scarcity […]
Artist Sigalit Landau swims naked amongst watermelons in Dead Sea to dramatize its plight. The Dead Sea is situated at the lowest point on earth and has been the subject a number of projects aimed at reversing the salt lake’s declining water levels. These projects include the controversial Red – Dead Sea Conduit Project, which […]
Too little or too much water is a sad result of climate change 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 […]
An unprecedented absence of rain in the Middle East has Jordanians praying in Amman As the water crisis in Jordan deepens, the country’s ministry of religious affairs is urging citizens to hold special prayers for rain. The move comes after a significant delay in the rainy season and five successive years of limited rainfall which […]
Divided by politics and now water: Turkey to take care of its occupied half of Northern Cyprus by diverting fresh water in a 48 mile undersea pipeline. Turkey seems to be serious about carrying out a project to bring fresh water to northern Cyprus by means of an undersea pipeline, according to Turkey’s Environment Minister […]
At a time when sane people are looking for ways to scale back their use of precious resources, Abu Dhabi continues to move full speed ahead. More than once I’ve flattened the gas pedal on long country roads: trees whoosh by, road lines blur, and for those few moments of abandonment, I had not a […]
Israeli fashion show attempts to go “au naturale” with a natural-landmark-themed garment contest. Fashion and the natural world don’t always go hand in hand (unless you’re lucky enough to come across some whimsical banana-shaped pumps by designers such as Kobi Levi). Usually haute couture is the anti-natural, with silhouettes that combat the shapes that we […]
In Tunisia last week, Islamic ministers meet to set a precedent on tackling water scarcity in home countries. In the Middle East and across the Muslim world, water scarcity is becoming one of the most pressing issues related to climate change- but what is actually been done to tackle these problems? Last week, the conference […]
Karen provides some water-saving tips in praise of International Water Day, Monday. [image via: RonAlmog] This coming Monday, March 22nd will be International Water Day, a time (almost like New Years) for countries to reflect upon their last year of water usage and make resolutions for the year to come. This is especially important in […]
Could this “dry” setting be the entire Middle East one day if we don’t take environment issues seriously? Business concerns in the Middle East, especially real estate developers in countries like the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are not being concerned enough about the environment, according to a study just released by the UAE […]
Israel’s been dragging its feet over the proposed drought tax. It’s been a pretty tumultuous month for water politics in Israel. After more than five years of abnormally low rainfall, as well as decades of unsustainable water consumption (at least according to Prof. Hillel Shuval) Israel faces an increasingly dire water crisis. Back in July, […]
It is illogical and immoral to dry up the urban parks, gardens and green areas, while exporting flowers grown with subsidized drinking water to Europe.
The World Bank published a report yesterday recommending an immediate change in the water regime between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Coming at a particularly sensitive time, considering the region’s ever-worsening water crisis, the report, entitled Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development, concluded that “the joint governance rules and water allocations established under […]
A few weeks ago I posted that Israel’s water crisis is so bad that water might be rationed soon. I also mentioned that part of the problem Israel has had with addressing its growing water needs has been due to the insufficient handling of the Israel’s water plan by the government. Since my post, both […]