More than 75 percent of the water used to grow crops in this country is treated wastewater. In many other Western countries, the rate is less than 20 percent. By Dan Even | Jul.19, 2012 The Health Ministry is taking steps to reduce the amount of medical waste found in treated sewage used for irrigation, […]

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Health Ministry opposition nixes plan for household recycling systems. By Zafrir Rinat | Jul.20, 2012 Scientists from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have proven the efficiency of gray water purification systems and that people should be encouraged to use such water. The project is one of the […]

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editor’s note: Another in the recurring attacks on the gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel and Jordan is widely reported. The reports from Ma’an and YNET are below. Links to some additional coverage: Al Arabiya: http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/07/22/227685.html Joran Times: http://jordantimes.com/blast-hits-gas-pipeline-in-egypts-sinai Ma’an CAIRO (Reuters) — An explosion on Sunday rocked the Egyptian pipeline built to carry natural […]

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Kurdish groups blamed for sabotage, as fire is controlled on pipeline carrying about quarter of Iraq’s oil exports. An explosion and subsequent fire have shut down a pipeline that carries about a quarter of Iraq’s oil exports, an official has said. The blast, which occured late on Friday, hit a section of a pipeline that […]

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by Basel Burgan | Jul 19, 2012 | 22:57 Previous Jordanian governments formed committees of specialists to come up with the Jordanian Energy Strategy (JES). The strategy became a reality in 2004, and then was updated in 2007. The JES worked out an energy mix for Jordan’s energy independence, giving 6 per cent for nuclear […]

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by Hana Namrouqa | Jul 19, 2012 | 23:00 Updated: Jul 19, 2012 | 23:00 AMMAN — The water distribution programme in the northern governorates will be disrupted following power cuts in several main water resources in the north, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said on Thursday. A number of water resources affiliated with […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/19/2012 06:18 Israel’s energy consumption grows 4% each year; electricity shortages can be avoided, expert tells ‘Post’. As the country faces a summer with low power reserves and increasing electrical demands, it may be strategic “if not crucial” for large institutions to conduct energy surveys and increase their efficiency. Dan Bar-Mashiah – […]

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BEIRUT: The Lebanese Army backed by firefighters extinguished fires that erupted in several parts of the south Thursday, the Army said in a statement Friday. Soldiers and Civil Defense personnel put out fires in the towns of Sayroub, Tayr, Kfar Deen, Nabatieh, Kfar Roummaneh and Hboush. The fires damaged 88 acres of fruit trees and […]

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By MELANIE LIDMAN, SHARON UDASIN 07/19/2012 05:51 Fire services: Arson created need for buffer zones to protect residents. Residents of Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood are furious with Fire and Rescue Services and Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund over the destruction of large swathes of the Ramot forest, which was thinned in order to protect homes against […]

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RAMALLAH, July 18, 2012 (WAFA) – Prime Minister Salam Fayyad Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding with representatives of several donor countries and institutions to organize work in the water and waste water sector. The signing donors were the European Union, Finland, Germany, Japan, Norway, Span, Austria, the World Bank, the United States Agency for […]

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July 20, 2012 01:48 AM By Mohammed Zaatari Sidon citizens occupy Water Authority office to protest shortages July 20, 2012 01:48 AM By Mohammed Zaatari The Daily Star Protesters take advantage of the water supplies available at the authority’s courtyard. (The Daily Star/Mohammed Zaatari) Protesters take advantage of the water supplies available at the authority’s […]

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AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, paid a surprise visit to Taibeh village in Karak Governorate on Friday, immediately after returning home from a private vacation. The King visited the village after looking at several reports that highlighted the suffering of its residents as a result of frequent cuts […]

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17 July 2012 The UK-based International Centre of Development Studies (ICD) warned of an environmental catastrophe that might hit the eastern and southern provinces of Iraq if Iran keeps on tampering with Iraq’s share of rivers that run through both countries. The ICD report, obtained by Al Arabiya, stated that Iran stopped the flow of […]

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Coral reefs worldwide face imminent danger, experts warn, adding decline places ocean eco system as well as livelihoods of millions at risk AFP Published: 07.16.12 More than 2,600 of the world’s top marine scientists Monday warned coral reefs around the world were in rapid decline and urged immediate global action on climate change to save […]

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by SHARON UDASIN 07/16/2012 Members of the Green Movement blame summer electricity shortages on “failed energy policy.” Blaming the country’s summer electricity shortages on a generally “failed energy policy,” members of the Green Movement called for the resignation of Energy and Water Minister Uzi Landau on Sunday. “The electricity crisis was predictable. Minister Landau must […]

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Past mismanagement, resource shortage to blame for slow trash collection — GAM official by Laila Azzeh | Jul 16, 2012 | AMMAN — In a city once reputed for its cleanliness, residents say the state of Amman’s sanitation services is deteriorating, which one local official blamed on years of “weak” governance. Citizens from east and […]

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by Hana Namrouqa Jul 15, 2012 AMMAN — Fifteen desert dams with a total capacity of two million cubic metres will be established in the northeastern badia by 2013 to provide local communities with permanent water resources, according to officials. The desert dams will be established under two agreements signed on Sunday between the ministries […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/15/2012 Effort aims to increase tourism in Hamei Zohar, Ein Bokek, prevent flooding in southern basin. New hotel rooms at various price levels as well as architecture geared to integrate with the desert could boost the Dead Sea’s tourism industry, experts have recommended. The Dead Sea Preservation Government Company, together with a […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 07/16/2012 Existing building plans for beachside construction will now be subject to reexamination. Existing building plans for beachside construction will now be subject to reexamination, after the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs approved an amendment to the 2004 Law for the Protection of the Coastal Environment on Sunday. “I am happy that […]

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July 16, 2012 10:58 AM BEIRUT: Electricite Du Liban Director-General Kamal Hayek warned Monday the continued strike by contract workers is paving the way for a “gradual collapse” of the state-run company, sounding the alarm of a possible total blackout in the country. “We could be seeing a gradual collapse of the company: something no […]

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