SHARON UDASIN 05/16/2017 EcoPeace: The state comptroller’s report presents “a scathing assessment of failure for more than two decades of Israeli government action and inaction.” Describing water pollution as nothing less than Israel’s most serious cross-border environmental hazard, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira called upon the government authorities to join forces to reduce the contamination of […]

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By Sharon Udasin May 4, 2017 Trilateral co-directors of EcoPeace Middle East send letter to Norway urging for participation of third-party mediator on water and electricity issues. A regional environmental group is calling for the participation of a third-party mediator on water and electricity issues in Gaza in hopes of averting a humanitarian, ecological and […]

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JVA to take stricter measures over summer to preserve and sustain water stored at dams By Hana Namrouqa – May 19,2017 AMMAN — As the wet season has ended with “discouraging” storage of water at dams, farmers in the Jordan Valley are expected to receive reduced water for irrigation, according to a government official. Storage […]

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Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Friday presided over a ministerial meeting aimed at addressing the pollution that is affecting the Litani River, stressing that this topic is among his priorities. “Our efforts on the issue began a month ago,” Hariri said ahead of the meeting. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Energy and Water Minister Cesar […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 17,2017 AMMAN — Unconventional water sources are the Kingdom’s long-term solution to its water dilemma, government officials said on Wednesday, indicating that increasing demand on water has exhausted surface and underground water sources. Now that the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has utilised all available methods to meet the increasing […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 09,2017 Marine conservationists are rallying support to list the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba as a UNESCO world heritage site (Photo courtesy of JREDS) AMMAN — Marine conservationists are currently rallying support to list the coral reefs in the Gulf of Aqaba as a UNESCO world heritage site. […]

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Raw sewage from treatment plant north of Tel Aviv is going into the Yarkon River; the officials responsible say the plant gets four times its design capacity Zafrir Rinat May 19, 2017 The Environmental Protection Ministry said on Wednesday that its enforcement unit is launching a criminal investigation against the heads of the Southeastern Sharon […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 06,2017 AMMAN — As the national crackdown on violations on water resources and networks enters its fourth year, authorities on Saturday announced that over 30,000 violations on water mains and resources have been prevented. The campaign, started by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in the summer of 2013, has […]

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by Hana Namrouqa – May 14,2017 Three Water Authority of Jordan employees were hospitalised on Sunday when they were shot at and assaulted after preventing the drilling of an illegal water well in the northern Ramtha district in Irbid Governorate, according to a government official (Photo courtesy of Water Authority of Jordan) AMMAN — Three […]

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The effluent is distressing residents of the West Bank settlement; Ramallah population growth and construction are apparently the cause; government says it’s working on a plan. Elisha Ben Kimon|Published: 14.05.17 The mostly ultra-Orthodox residents of Modi’in Illit in the West Bank have recently been dealing with seemingly biblical plague of mosquitoes due to an effluent […]

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This is a toolkit intended to help multi-faith communities around the world learn about the condition of the Jordan River and join the efforts to rehabilitate the once mighty river. The first section describes the demise of the Jordan River, what went wrong, and why it matters. The second section provides a compilation of writings […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 07,2017 AMMAN — Representatives of the country’s 124 environmental NGOs on Sunday urged the government to engage with the civil society in environment-related decision making. At their first national conference, the country’s environmental NGOs called on the government to consult with them in the environmental decision making process, claiming that […]

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By JT – May 13,2017 AMMAN — A total of 8,554 electricity thefts have been detected between the beginning of the year and the end of April, 4,096 of which have been discovered by the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Commission (EMRC), according to its chief commissioner. The cases detected by EMRC in the January-April period […]

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Projects assert Jordan’s role as regional energy hub — King By JT – May 14,2017 His Majesty King Abdullah inaugurated several solar energy projects, worth more than JD400 million, in the southern governorates on Sunday (Photo courtesy of the Royal Court) AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday inaugurated several solar energy projects, which […]

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By Dana Al Emam – May 14,2017 AMMAN — The fields of renewable energy and energy efficiency are of particular importance for boosting business relations between Jordan and Germany, stakeholders from the two countries agreed on Sunday. Speakers at the second Jordanian-German Renewables Day highlighted the untapped potentials that can merge Jordan’s plans to increase […]

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By JT – May 10,2017 AMMAN — Honeywell UOP on Tuesday announced the signing of an agreement with the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company (JPRC) to facilitate a $1.6 billion expansion of its refinery in Zarqa. The expansion will increase the capacity of the facility to 120,000 barrels per day and allow JPRC to upgrade the […]

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By Dana Al Emam – May 13,2017 The Arab Future Energy Index seeks to monitor and analyse sustainable energy competitiveness in the Arab region(Photo courtesy of the 2016 Arab Future Energy Index Renewable Energy) AMMAN — While Jordan has achieved “substantial” progress in attracting investments in the renewable energy sector, allowing third party supply of […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/15/2017 Air pollution levels soar across the country as Israelis celebrate Lag Ba’Omer festival. After Israelis kindled Lag Ba’Omer bonfires for the second night in a row on Sunday, air pollution levels climbed to up to 10.9 times greater than typical values in areas around the country. The nation’s skies filled with […]

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Several municipalities lead initiatives to bring together classes for one bonfire instead of many separate ones; meanwhile, outcry over shortage of buses to Meron for hillula. Meir Turgeman, Isaac Dabush, Itzchak Tessler|Published: 10.05.17 , 12:36 Lag B’Omer, a Jewish festival celebrated with the lighting of bonfires, will be a little more environmentally friendly this year […]

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By Hana Namrouqa – May 03,2017 AMMAN — The Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace on Wednesday held its final meeting before submitting its report recommending a new framework to create positive linkages between water, peace and security. The panel’s fourth and final meeting before the report’s submission to the UN in September […]

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