100 km/h winds and massive rains knock out trees and power throughout the country. After a weekend of storms that contained relatively light rainfall, the havoc-wreaking winter weather pattern that descended on Israel gained strength on Sunday and large quantities of precipitation fell in the northern and central regions of Israel. The harsh weather conditions […]

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Deaths as rain, snow and high winds lash Eastern Mediterranean, bringing months of drought to a dramatic end.’ An enormous storm has battered the eastern Mediterranean over the weekend, causing destruction in several countries and bringing to a dramatic end months of drought. Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan and Egypt were all hit by severe weather, […]

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By Natacha Yazbeck BEIRUT (AFP) — Winds, rain and hail battered the eastern Mediterranean for a second day on Sunday, wreaking havoc across the region as a months-long drought came to a sudden, drastic end. Drought-stricken countries across the Middle East had been praying for rain for weeks when weather conditions turned violent at the […]

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Water security, namely the ability of governments to secure a sustainable water supply for their populations, is becoming increasingly questionable in the Levantine countries of the Middle East. Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Turkey, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Israel not only share a history of conflict but also a challenging, mostly arid climate, and scarce water […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/29/2010 03:40 Efforts to reduce emissions will focus on green building, energy efficiency and clean technologies. The cabinet approved on Sunday a proposal to spend NIS 2.2 billion over the next 10 years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to the decision, efforts to reduce emissions will focus on green building, […]

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By JPOST EDITORIAL 12/01/2010 06:39 End goal must be sustainable, cleverly managed water economy, in which authorities both act now and plan for future to meet a reality where rainfall may very well never equal what it once did. The lack of rain these past few weeks has been obvious, with this past month being […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 11/23/2010 01:54 Calls for boosting the output of existing solutions; Ongoing lack of rainfall leads to deficit of 400-600 million cu.m. per year; Knesset inaugurates water lobby. Both Water Authority head Prof. Uri Shani and Mekorot CEO Ido Rosolio confirmed to The Jerusalem Post on Monday that the emergency plan they […]

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Rain seems to elude the Kingdom, although traditionally the wet season will have started quite some time ago. Unless the weather changes, the country could be facing a worrisome development: acute lack of water, not only for agricultural but also for domestic use, a fear that never really leaves countries poor in this precious commodity. […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Challenges facing water utilities across the region will come under the spotlight today in the opening of the first Arab Water Week. Organised by the Arab Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA) in cooperation with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, the event will gather 400 water experts and decision makers […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 12/02/2010 03:05 Commission meets in Cancun to negotiate parameters for cutting emissions; Israel is making an effort to cut emissions by 20% by 2020. If only big or rich countries are compelled to cut their emissions, these reductions still won’t be enough to retard climate change, Shuli Nezer, the Environmental Protection […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is currently drafting an emergency water plan in light of an “unprecedented absence of rain”, a government official said on Wednesday. Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar has instructed the Water Authority of Jordan and the Jordan Valley Authority to draft an emergency […]

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Unusually dry autumn and poor infrastructure leading to water ‘crisis’ experts say By Tamara Qiblawi Friday, December 03, 2010 Steep water shortage takes toll on economy BEIRUT: While Lebanon’s beach-goers bask in the sun of a clear skied autumn season, many potable water tanks in neighborhoods throughout the country are hollowing out and families are […]

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Mohamad Ali Harissi Agence France Presse BEIRUT: As Europe shivers under freezing temperatures, unusually balmy weather and a lack of rain or snow have spelled disaster for Lebanon’s farmers and ski resorts. “The delayed rainfall is threatening some of our major springs, in which water is becoming increasingly scarce,” said Fouad Hashwa, the dean of […]

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By Raed Omari AMMAN – Despite the lack of rain and a serious water shortage, it is still too early to declare a water-related state of emergency, a senior official from the Jordanian Farmers Union (JFU) said. JFU President Ahmad Faour told The Jordan Times over the phone yesterday that it is still uncertain whether […]

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By EHUD ZION WALDOKS 12/05/2010 03:02 The 50,000 dunams that have been consumed by flames represent just under half of the 115,000 dunam Carmel forest reserve. Officials said Saturday that it could take dozens of years for all of the area destroyed by the fire to be rehabilitated. The 50,000 dunams that have been consumed […]

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By JUDY SIEGEL AND EHUD ZION WALDOKS 12/06/2010 04:36 The horrendous fire will stimulate a rebirth in the lost forests and result in an impressive return of animal biodiversity, experts say. Although the grief of the families who lost their love ones to the fire will remain forever and the trauma of property loss will […]

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by Raed Omari AMMAN – The Middle East is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to climate change, threatening Jordan’s development, a senior development economist has warned. Delivering a public lecture on Sunday, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute of Columbia University, highlighted recent indicators of ecosystem change and its consequences […]

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AMMAN – His Majesty King Abdullah on Sunday issued instructions to send the necessary equipment to assist in extinguishing fires that broke out in various forest areas in Lebanon, a Royal Court statement said. The King issued the instructions after receiving a telephone call from Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, asking for help to put […]

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AMMAN/ISFIYA, Israel (Agencies) –– Jordan’s civil defence teams have joined firefighters from several countries that rushed to help Israel fight a huge forest fire. The Jordan News Agency, Petra, quoted an official source as saying Saturday that the government received an official request from the Israeli government a day earlier to take part in efforts […]

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Ismail Haniyeh says Allah is punishing Israelis for ‘what they did,’ during emergency prayers in Gaza City to ask for rain. The de-facto Palestinian prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday that the massive forest fires in northern Israel served as a “strike from Allah [God].” Commenting on the fires in Israel, which killed […]

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