WASH News MENA
News feed maintained by information specialists from IRC and partners.
Palestine, Gaza: drinking water contaminated with high levels of nitrate
25 Aug 08
Gaza/Leipzig. Palestinian and German scientists have recommended to the authorities in the Gaza Strip that they take immediate measures to combat excessive nitrate levels in the drinking water. 90 per cent of their water samples were found to contain nitrate concentrations that were between two and eight times higher than the limit recommended by the [...]
Iraq: After 5 years of war, Iraqis desperate for water
25 Aug 08
Water and sewage are perennial challenges in {Iraq], where the overhaul of decrepit public works has been hindered by years of war and neglect.Nearly a billion litres of raw sewage is dumped into Baghdad waterways each day — enough to fill 370 Olympic-sized pools.[...]Since 2003, the United States has spent about $2.4 billion on Iraq’s [...]
Yemen: alarm bells over water
25 Aug 08
Water availability in Yemen has been worsening by the year and the government has no clear strategy on how to deal with the problem, experts have said.They say water shortages, which affect about 80 percent of the country’s 21 million people, are exacerbated by the high fertility rate, rapid urbanisation, the cultivation of `qat’ (a [...]
Iraq: IDPs in tent camps continue to suffer - IOM
25 Aug 08
While the rate of people fleeing their homes in Iraq has decreased during the first half of 2008, daily life for the thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in tent camps remains grim, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.“Tent camp residents have little or no access to basic services, cannot protect themselves against [...]
Jordan: new study could lead to a cleaner city of Zarqa
25 Aug 08
A team of local and international environmentalists is to conduct a six-month study of the polluted channel (known as `Saeil’), which cuts through the city of Zarka. The study [...] is funded by the Spanish government and other donors, including the European Union [and] is due to start in September [2008].[...]Effluent from chemical and other [...]
Arab Water Academy Launched in Abu Dhabi
19 Aug 08
High level officials from more than 15 Arab countries, including 8 ministers in charge of water, and some 80 water experts from the Arab region and beyond attended the formal launching [on 6 July 2008] of the Arab Water Academy (AWA) in Abu Dhabi, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, [...]
Israel-OPT: Palestinians to face water shortages this summer - rights group
04 Jul 08
Palestinians in the West Bank consume far less water than people in Israel, but they are likely to face a shortage this summer, the Israeli human rights group B’tselem has warned.“The chronic water shortage results in large part from Israel’s discriminatory policy in distributing the joint water resources in the West Bank, and the limits [...]
OPT: Palestinians get EC aid, but water and sanitation underfunded
19 Jun 08
The European Commission (EC) on 16 June 2008 announced a 24 million euro donation the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) for cash for work programmes, water and sanitation projects, health support and protection work. About half of the money would go to the West Bank and half to the Gaza Strip.This was the second half of [...]
Experts say Kurdistan’s water crisis inevitable
10 Jun 08
As neighboring dams go up, Kurdistan’s water level goes down.The lack of clean drinking water and the destructive policies of neighboring countries [Turkey and Iran] will ultimately lead to a major loss in agricultural lands and a drought in Kurdistan Region.Experts say the water crisis in Kurdistan Region is imminent in spite of too-late efforts [...]
Israel / Syria: Turkish-mediated talks bring Golan Heights and water issues back to the table
30 May 08
Israel and Syria are holding indirect peace talks in Istanbul through Turkish mediators. This marks the first official confirmation that contacts have resumed since 2000. The two governments said they had declared their intent to conduct these talks in good faith and with an open mind, with the goal of reaching a comprehensive peace. Peace [...]
