By Hana Namrouqa ZARQA/BALQA – Increasing water flow in the Zarqa River and removing sewage pipes from the waterway are the starting points for rehabilitating the heavily polluted river, ecologists and environmental experts said on Monday. Addressing the pollution of the Zarqa River, which originates from Ras Al Ain in Amman and flows into the […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/24/2011 02:03 FM Yuval Steinitz signs agreement approving new factory near Ashdod, which will make 65% of Israel’s water from desalinated sources. Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz signed an agreement on Monday approving the construction and operation of a new desalination facility in Soreq, near Ashdod, which upon completion will make Israel’s domestic […]

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By SHARON UDASIN AND BEN HARTMAN 05/24/2011 01:57 NIS 750 million plan calls for increasing tourism, harvesting salt; MK Henin praises move, says Dead Sea Works should shoulder costs. The Tourism and Environmental Protection Ministries announced on Monday that they will recommend salt harvesting as the solution to the rising water levels in the southern […]

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By JPOST EDITORIAL 05/25/2011 23:18 The Dead Sea will spring raucously to life with the kickstarting of a dispute about who must foot the bill for keeping it healthy. The lowest point on earth promises to rise high on the controversy scale in coming months. The Dead Sea will spring raucously to life with the […]

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Hanin Ramahi The Society of Energy Conservation and Sustainable Environment President Ayyoub Abu Diyye has revealed that there are traces of radiated molecules in the Disi Water Project area, possibly posing a threat to the health of citizens who will be drinking from it. The Disi Water Project is to be completed in 2013, and […]

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By Abeer Numan AMMAN – Jordan must work to store and make use of rainwater instead of focusing on drainage systems in order to address the water problem in the country, University of Jordan (UJ) Professor Nasim Barham said on Monday. Delivering a lecture titled, “Water in Rentier States: A Case Study of Jordan”, at […]

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By Simona Sikimic EIRUT: Water experts from across the Arab world gathered in Beirut Tuesday for a three-day intergovernmental meeting set to discuss legal frameworks monitoring water redistribution and management. “The situation in Lebanon is rather favorable in comparison to its neighbors … but Lebanon must nonetheless take care of its resources and trans-boundary aquifers […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/25/2011 02:56 Minister praises environmental progress in settlement, says funding will be provided for future projects. Talkbacks (2) From a forest in the Te’ena neighborhood of Efrat, 12thgrader Naftali Gross told Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan about a recycling initiative he and his peers have been leading – a school-wide campaign of […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/25/2011 03:06 “Now I see that the Jewish leadership in Judea and Samaria is also leading the green revolution in Israel,” minister says. Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan visited the Yeshiva High School for boys in the South Hebron Hills settlement of Sussiya on Tuesday, to inaugurate a new wind power generator […]

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A focus on boosting diplomatic ties has improved Egypt’s relations with the Nile Basin countries, reports Doaa El-Bey The new atmosphere that has existed in Egypt since the 25 January Revolution has helped ease differences over the fair distribution of Nile water between the upper and lower Nile Basin states, with Egypt working on improving […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – With the onset of summer, the Ministry of Water and Irrigation has started distributing water-saving devices to households across the country to reduce water use during the hot season. Under the ministry’s summer campaign, technical teams will install these fixtures in households in six governorates where demand is high and […]

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By Antoine Amrieh BATROUN: In the mountains of north Lebanon this time of year, visitors encounter the roaring sound of water cascading from the slopes to the valleys as the winter snow melts. Meanwhile, residents in coastal areas of places like Batroun are encountering the roaring sound of water delivery trucks, and complaining of a […]

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Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) Workshop June 19-24, 2011 Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian water practitioners are invited to apply for the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) workshop from June 19-24, 2011 on Kibbutz Ketura, Israel. WEAP is useful microcomputer tool for integrated water resources management that goes a step beyond conventional supply-oriented water simulation models. […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/22/2011 03:16 Municipality pays nothing for technology, shares profits from lower electricity bills. Israeli wastewater treatment technology developer, Mapal Green Energy, has developed a new financial incentive for using its floating fine-bubble diffusers – where the client pays nothing for the technology and installation, and is only responsible for sharing profits from […]

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The ILA must internalize its new role in light of the Israel Lands Administration Law and reexamine a long list of already approved plans to open up lands for development. By Zafrir Rinat Not long ago the Knesset amended the Israel Lands Administration Law. It was stipulated that the ILA would engage not only in […]

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By Hana Namrouqa WADI ARABA – Creating protected areas in the south of Jordan appears to have become difficult as local communities resist the idea and authorities’ cooperation is weak, which may leave some of Jordan’s unique landscapes vulnerable to destruction. Four areas in Wadi Araba were proposed to become protected areas, including Ghor Fifa, […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/22/2011 03:25 Nature and Parks Authority officials say farmers must stop poisoning crop-damaging animals. Talkbacks (1) A pair of white-tailed sea eagles that were returned to nature in 2007 after remaining naturally extinct in Israel since the 1950s were poisoned to death in the Emek Hefer area this week, the Nature and […]

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By Hana Namrouqa AMMAN – Watching and studying birds is an unconventional hobby for teenagers, but for Hanan Abu Shanab, analysing birds’ behaviour and their origins is her pastime. “Studying migratory and resident birds in Jordan, their route and challenges they face during migration has become an important and interesting topic to me, which I […]

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By SHARON UDASIN 05/23/2011 07:09 Jerusalem fire and rescue services respond to 180 incidents of out-of-control bonfires over the course of celebrations. There was a significant rise in respirable particulates in the air following Lag Ba’omer bonfires on Saturday night, measurements taken by the Environmental Protection Ministry showed. The increase began about an hour after […]

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Study: Water shortages worst in Middle East May 18, 2011 10:12 AM (Last updated: May 18, 2011 10:17 AM) By Michael Casey Associated Press Key emerging economies and oil rich nations export water issues to ensure food security through African ‘land grab’ (Maplecroft) Key emerging economies and oil rich nations export water issues to ensure […]

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