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Book Your Tickets for the Arava Institute’s Ultimate Trans-Boundary Middle East Eco Tour This Winter

Karen Chernick — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 05:39:40 +0000

Want to tour Israel, Palestine and Jordan in the ultimate eco trip? [image via: Marcelo Ruiz]

Now that the spring holidays are mostly behind us, you may be looking ahead to plan your winter holiday. If you’re an eco tourist, interested in becoming an eco tourist, a fan of cross cultural activity or just a Middle Eastern afficionado, we’ve got a suggestion for you. The Arava Institute’s Trans-Boundary Eco Tour.

The tour, which will take place between December 26-31, 2010, is the first of its kind and is being organized by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (AIES) – one of the Middle East’s premier environmental research and teaching programs.

In an effort to make the tour explanations (as well as the tour sites) trans-boundary, the tour will be guided by co-leaders Dr. Clive Lipchin, who is Israeli, and Dr. Tareq Abu Hamed, who is Palestinian. Tour participants will visit important sites in Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian West Bank.

“Clive and Tareq, recognized researchers and teachers in the environmental sciences, bring their extensive knowledge and expertise to our Eco-Tour participants,” said David Lehrer, Director of the Arava Institute. “It’s their ability to clearly explain the environmental complexities and challenges facing the Mideast today that make this trans-boundary tour a truly unique experience.”

Specific sites to be visited during the tour include Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Amman, the Dead Sea, the Hula Valley, the Sea of Galille, Jerusalem, and the Arava Institute itself.

Only forty people will be taken on this special tour, with approximately half of the spots already taken up. If you’re interested, sign up quick!

Got the travel bug? Read more about eco tourism in the Middle East::

Top 7 Middle Eastern Trips for the Eco-Curious Traveler

WWOOF Your Way to Organic Food in the Middle East

Take an Eco-Friendly Tour with Israel Travel Company

Coastal Erosion Threatens Evolutionary Hotspots In Gulf Region

Karin Kloosterman — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:09:57 +0000

Projects like Dubai’s “The World” will cause untold damage of shoreline erosion and habitat loss. So do modern ports, threatening endangered species. But there are solutions, says US expert.

Coastal waters are evolutionary hotspots, says Jerry Berne, a shoreline expert from the NGO Sustainable Shorelines in the US. Based in Charlotte, NC, USA, Berne is concerned about the toll construction and shoreline projects are having on the world’s marine ecosystems. Looking at the intensive construction projects ongoing in the Gulf region, such as Dubai’s The World, and over-pumping of aquifers by the Palestinian and Israeli authorities, Berne sees our current management of shorelines as a disaster. In an interview with Green Prophet, Berne points out the problems in the Middle East and gives alternative solutions, such as offshore ports powered by solar energy, to stop soil erosion and habitat loss.

1. Please tell us a little more about you and your interest in soil erosion.

I was an architect who, upon experiencing the rapid erosion of a favorite beach in the mid-1990’s, began to investigate its causes and possible mitigation options. The more I discovered the more concerned I became for the damage being done to our coastal resources by man’s activities.

I volunteered to work with North Carolina’s famed environmentalist and nature photographer Hugh Morton in his efforts to save the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse in its powerful place by the sea.

Mr. Morton also owned Grandfather Mountain, a major natural tourist attraction and a UN Biosphere Reserve site. Mr. Morton advocated using an environmentally sound and sustainable method of coastal erosion mitigation, Holmberg Technologies, to protect the Lighthouse and to demonstrate this method’s suitability to preserve other coastal habitats.

This effort failed in a large part due to the influence of the US Army Corps of Engineers (major dredging advocates) as well as some who strongly supported abandoning our coastal resources to the sea. Given the evidence of man’s impact on these, this was/is an irrational and un-environmentally sound position.

From my architectural education, I could readily see the problem of overdevelopment in habitat loss and pollution. What was not so obvious was what was mostly hidden from us underwater: the navigational channels, offshore aggregate mining, erosion “control” and navigational structures. These with changes to our river systems –channelization, dams, etc.– also impacted our coastlines ability to “heal” itself from the natural erosion caused by storms and incremental sea level rise.

As my perspective is mainly from “on the beach”, my answers on soil erosion are going to embrace the often ignored erosion crisis on our shorelines. To encourage more attention to this crisis, I work with other organizations with similar goals as the UK’s FOE/MARINET group (http://marinet.org.uk/) and have participated in research programs including the EU’s Soil Protection Issue Group’s contribution to its Environmental Technologies Action Plan.

2. What are some of the root causes of soil erosion and why is this a concern in the Gulf Region?

The Gulf region shares this problem with any other area with coastlines. It also has been very active in dredging for both navigation and land reclamation (see Answer 5). As such, its shorelines are experiencing much habitat loss both on and offshore. This activity can also impact fresh water resources (see Answer 3), a critically scarce Gulf resource.

While many do not necessarily consider coastal erosion when thinking of the phrase “soil erosion”, it is imperative that we began to do this. Not only are we losing expensive real estate and tourism economics, we are losing habitat.

Our coastal habitats –deltas, estuaries, wetlands, reefs — are also our sealife nurseries from which most of our commercial fishing resources are derived. We must consider the commercial aspects of our shorelines as this seems to be the major concern of those with the power to actually implement policies and practices to mitigate manmade coastal erosion.

Perhaps the greatest contributor to this erosion is dredging. In our efforts to facilitate commercial –even recreational– navigation, we have changed nature and not adapted our vessels to it. Altering coastal waterways, inlets and bays also alters current and wave patterns. These are often accelerated and redirected creating what amounts to hydraulic mining along our coastal landforms scouring these away. Much of the sediment from these is flumed far offshore and out of the littoral systems.

To “mitigate” this loss, the same engineering firms and marine construction companies who dredged these initially are often hired to replace the lost shoreline with sand from these excavations or mined from the offshore. Either way, this process actually accelerates erosion such that beach “nourishment” is, in truth, a starvation diet. Sand fill derived from navigational dredging of a channel or inlet can be tainted with pollutants, it changes currents and flumes much of the naturally replenishing sediments far offshore and out of the littoral systems. If the fill is mined (stripped-mined) from offshore, naturally storm energy damping shoals are removed allowing more energy to strike the shoreline creating more ecological and economic damage. Both processes can deepen the nearshore

3. What kinds of effects can we expect to see in the marine and land environment if too much erosion takes place?

The most obvious the loss of the dry beach and dunes often with the accompaniment of manmade structures. What we do not see is the undersea side of this with changes to shoal and reef fish habitats. Eroding shorelines typically mean more sedimentation in the form of silts and fines. These can smother seabed and reef habitats.

The changes in salinity as land barriers erode effect wetlands and estuaries by altering critical sealife chemical balances. This also allows the loss of coastal fresh water aquifers to salt water infiltration effecting plants and, of course, human potable water sources. Salinization becomes even more problematic as climate change lessened rainfall reduces river flows and groundwater recharge. We must consider that the shallow deltas and inlets which once constrained the outward flow of fresh water and held the salt sea at bay are now hydraulic super highways thanks to dredging.

One of the most symbolic environmental concerns to many are sea turtle losses and the Gulf is home to the endangered green turtle. These are being lost to fishing operations, native food traditions and the ingestion of solid and chemical pollutants. Equally critical is the loss of habitat to development, erosion and the indiscriminate use of beach “nourishment” projects to “restore” beaches which are nesting grounds.

The fill sand may provide a temporary dry beach for nesting, but the fill is often incompatible to the original beach’s naturally acquired sand and alters the survival of the baby turtles through changes in sand temperature, compaction and irregular scarping.

4. How could overbuilding and climate change exacerbate soil erosion?

Overbuilding or over-development can impact erosion by destroying parts of our natural shorelines’ abilities to protect itself. The loss of sand dunes, the filling of wetlands and traditionally engineered shore “protection” structures to “protect” this development all contribute to the further loss of shoreline.

One of the most insidious methods to protect this development is the heavy promotion of beach “nourishment” as a rational method. Both navigational dredging and offshore aggregate mining weaken our natural shoreline defenses (beaches, shoals, reefs, etc.) by removing naturally replenishing sediments to deep water and by actually deepening the nearshore allowing more wave energy to strike the shoreline. We must remember that we only see the loss of dry beach, not the massive amount of near and off shore that is removed before this occurs.

Climate change is anticipated to cause rapid (in geologic terms) sea level rise and increased storm intensities. The manmade changes to our coastlines have severely weakened our natural coastal defenses’ ability to mitigate and slow the impacts of climate changes –itself the major manmade change encompassing the entire earth.

5. What Middle East countries are at risk?

The loss of coastal barrier lands to erosion and the dredging of deep channels far inland allows salt water to infiltrate any fresh ground water and aquifers contiguous to these. This is exacerbated by over-pumping these sources for potable water and agricultural as is happening in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Salt water is also effecting agricultural lands in the critical Nile River delta. This is due to both the loss of fresh, unpolluted water and its rapid erosion. This erosion is due in part to the loss of sediment now trapped behind the Aswan Dam. Channel dredging and sea level rise accelerate this loss.

Again, dredging is a major component of our coastal erosion crisis whether is for navigation or seabed strip-mining for construction fill or aggregates. Even so, MENAFN has several articles on recent efforts to expand dredging and coastal construction in the Mideast.

These include $629 million to construct four artificial islands off Abu Dhabi; Saudi Arabia welcoming its new dredging ship, the largest of its kind in the world, for coastal construction; plans for a new Suez Canal entrance channel; Haifa harbor mining for construction aggregates; $200 million for port dredging/construction at Sohar, Oman; etc.

There has even been a scheme proposed to expand Israel/Palestinian lands by filling in the eastern Mediterranean with dredged fill from it!

All of this puts sealife habitats at risk such as the Gulf’s reefs. A new study on the effects of climate change and coral reefs is just being released by the UK’s University of Exeter. While it states that reefs in marine reserves can recover from global warming, it also states that these also protect the reefs from “potentially-damaging human activity, like dredging and fishing.”

Even more interestingly, this study was funded by the Khaled bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (whose website video show’s its founder exploring a reef). Astonishingly, we are already aware of the severe stress on Gulf reefs due to sedimentation from erosion or fines and silts from the dredging there. We should also be aware that that reefs were just declared “evolutionary hot spots” in a new research report from Germany’s Humboldt University.

6. What measures can be done to stop this from happening.

We must become more aware of our impact on coastal environments. Just as we once thought the sea too vast for us to harm with our discards and pollutants, we now know our actions can effect the entire planet. We would not accept environmentally disastrous strip-mining or canyon digging on our lands; we must not accept it in our waters. Unfortunately, we still accept paving over our coastal resources.

To reduce the need for navigational dredging and structures, we need a new vision for our commercial shipping industry which is, in many ways, “back to the future”. While deeply dug navigational channels may extend inland several kilometers, these can extend seaward tens of kilometers to reach deep water.

By engineering new, technologically advanced offshore ports, we could remove the major manmade erosion cause from our coastlines. Current/wave, wind and solar energy might power these.

The super-deep draft vessels of today and even larger ones of tomorrow could ply the oceans between these drill-platform style island ports where each’s cargo could be handled robotically and even have it security checked.

This cargo could be transferred to coastal vessels (as once was done) which are designed for our coastal waterways rather than re-engineering our waterways for massive ships. This could help our coastlines to heal naturally as well as create more ports of entry spreading coastal economies –and jobs– all along our coastlines. This would also reduce port pollution and potentially reduce land transportation costs and pollution.

To help with this coastal healing, we must adopt proven erosion mitigation technology. One of its most successful implementations of these is in the Middle East. In 1999/2000, Holmberg Technologies installed one of its Undercurrent Stabilizers Systems at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia for Aramco.

The site was one where dredging and all other engineered methods, including a massive boulder/concrete seawall, had failed to stop the erosion threatening a housing complex. This erosion was caused by the oil loading terminal east of the site which created a sand starved area in the shadow of its long structures.

After seeing its housing complex again threatened, the Aramco housing authority overruled its engineers and employed Holmberg’s passive, permanent method to halt the erosion. Within weeks of its completion, the beach had expanded by 20 meters and elevated by 2 covering sections of the remaining seawall. The shoreline continues to expand.

This demonstration is important in that it shows that we can mitigate much of our current self-inflicted shore wounds with an existing technology –shown to be environmentally sound and sustainable– even in areas thought to be sand starved. As importantly, it is considerably less expensive to the environment and government economies than the beach nourishment and traditionally engineered projects sold by engineering firms and international dredging companies. Holmberg’s work is shown to shallow the nearshore while expanding the dry beach and backshore dunes. It also is shown to elevate the shoreline –an important attribute as sea levels rise.

There are a myriad of other methods which are proposed or which have been attempted, though not necessarilly successfully. These include beach dewatering (which might be problematic to coastal aquifers), artificial offshore reefs/breakwaters, semi-permeable netting to catch sand, etc. There is even one method which is a biochemical designed to neutralize pollutants which may cause sand to flow more freely thus allow beaches to erode faster. To date, however, Holmberg remains the only method with any long-term, credible evidence of success including university research, professional monitoring reports and over 30 years of empirical evidence.

In the 1960’s, a dam project on the Amazon River threaten to drown a huge population of indigenous animals as the water rose behind the dam. Biologists called for help to save those trapped with the alarming message, “Time is short and the water rises.” Now the water rises for all of us.

Jerry Berne
Sustainable Shorelines, Inc. (www.sustainableshorelines.org)
Charlotte, NC, USA

Sustainable Shorelines is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to documenting current environmental events on our shorelines, identifying and seeking to change those coastal policies and practices which are harmful and advocating protecting our coastal habitats and the ecosystems these support with methods proven to be environmentally sound and sustainable.

Oren Blonder on Israel’s Role in Mideast Water Security

Karin Kloosterman — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 17:53:22 +0000

This interview rounds off our water series of interviews with Israeli water experts. In collaboration with the Strategic Foresight Group we’ve been busy talking with experts and policy makers and shapers from Israel on how it can help achieve water security in the region.

Today we speak with Oren Blonder, director of the Agriculture, Water and Environment Department at the Peres Center for Peace. Prior to working at the Peres Center, Oren served as Project Manager of a wastewater treatment pilot program in the industrial area of Ramat Hovav industrial zone in Israel.

Here are our 5 questions for Blonder:

Q1. Turkey and Israel have had talks about freshwater supply and purchase in the past. The Turkish government has been positive in its overall response so far but there is some opposition to this in the Turkish political spectrum. If the Turkish government were to agree to supply 1 BCM of freshwater to Israel, is there a possibility that Israel will agree in return to share this water with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan?

A1. I think that like everything else it comes down to financial issues. I certainly believe that a joint regional purchase of water can occur and if Jordan and Palestine will pay for their share Israel could facilitate such a transaction

A2. “Creating new sources of water” has been one of the Peres Center for Peace’s objectives for the last decade. I believe that (1) proper recycling and re-use of treated wastewater, and (2) modification of crops so that they can be irrigated by saline water (such as Salicorniya – salt tolerant plants for example), can free freshwater for drinking and hygiene purposes. With regard to these two fields, the Peres Center has facilitated major cross border projects between agricultural sectors and decision makers from across the region. The Peres Center has also assisted university research in these two fields of study.

Q3. Lebanon’s Litani River has a particularly high quality of water, with a very low quantity of chlorates and nitrates present. Water cooperation with Lebanon would therefore serve Israeli interests but in order for this to happen, political cooperation between these two parties is required; in addition Israel-Lebanon relations are inter-linked with the Israel-Palestine conflict. Is it worth it for Israel to find political cooperation with Lebanon in order to secure its water situation or is this not a practical option?

A3. Unfortunately, due to the highly sensitive nature of the current political atmosphere in the region, I find it hard to believe that water cooperation by itself is a strong enough reason for cooperation between Israel and Lebanon.

Q4. Technical reports suggest that over-pumping is leading to the depletion of groundwater aquifers in the West Bank, both in terms of water levels as well as water quality. This could cause water shortages in the short-run and devastation of the eco-system in the long-run. What can be done to preserve these aquifers?

A4. As I mentioned earlier, we at Peres Center strongly believe that “creating new sources of water” is the right solution for this problem. I believe it is possible; it has the agreement of all sides and it is a pure win-win situation.

A5. I believe that all sides have certain advantages to gain from cooperation and cross border activities in this field, and that due to our shared scarcity of water, this is the only solution! One can not solve this type of problem alone, exactly like you wouldn’t expect a local authority to solve such a problem instead of handling it at the national level.

The Israeli experts water series:
1. All the Water in Israel: Interviews with Government, Analysts and Researchers
2. Interview with Israel’s past water commissioner, Shimon Tal
3. Gidon Bromberg on Water Security and Sustainability in the Middle East
4. Read our interview with Israel’s Water Commission
5. Interview with Eli Ronen, chairman of Mekorot
6. Interview with Ranaan Borel, water consultant and activist
7. Interview with the Mayor of Ashkelon, Benny Vaknin, a peacebuilder through water and the environment
8. Interview With Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection

Water Security in the Middle East: from the Desk of Israel’s Ministry of Environmental Protection

Karin Kloosterman — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 18:30:19 +0000

Water can start wars, but it can also be a bridge to peace. And as a Middle East environment news blog, Green Prophet thinks “green” solutions – be it water, clean energy, clean air – can stimulate and lubricate peace. That’s why we engaged in a series of interviews with Israeli water experts in partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group. There’s been a lot of talk about how Israel manages its water, but what solutions do its experts, policy makers and business people see as viable for water security in the Middle East?

We launched into a deep investigation and found the influentials in the country’s water industry. (Scroll down for the complete list of interviews.) Today’s interview with the desk of the Ministry of Environmental Protection rounds off this series. We hope that loyal readers have found it useful, and that policy makers, and journalists will have new channels of experts to approach.

Here’s our interview with the Ministry:

A1. Nowadays, Israel is the major supplier of water to the Palestinians and it supplies water to Jordan according to the peace agreement between the countries. If this project of getting some water from Turkey will be feasible, sharing it with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan is more than an option and Israel will consider it as such.

Q2. Israel is counting on desalination as a major source of its future water supply. However, there are limits to the growth of Israel’s water supply based on marginal water alone. What are the other ‘regional’ solutions that Israel can examine in terms of water cooperation with other countries?

A2. The water scarcity is going to be harder in the whole region and desalination is the solution for “new” water. Furthermore, reuse of water and especially use of treated effluent for agriculture will gain more fresh water to address the needs of the increasing population in the Mediterranean.

A3. Indeed, the Litani River has good water quality and the use of its water will contribute a lot to the scarcity in the region. Unfortunately, nowadays, the conflict keeps this solution far from reality.

A4. There are three major things that need to be done in order to save the water quality in the aquifers:

1. Pollution from wastewater that is flowing into the environment needs to be stopped and wastewater treatment plants need to be built as soon as possible.

2. A control of the over-pumping is a major step in order to save the quality and quantity of the aquifers.

3. The use of treated effluents for agriculture will reduce the need for over-pumping and will keep the aquifers in good quality.

Q5. Israel has experienced a severe drought period in the recent past. With environmental neglect and the effects of climate change, this can be a frequent and imminent risk in the future. What can be done to minimize the impact of such a danger in terms of national measures as well as well as regional cooperation?

A5. A combination of steps in the region will reduce the dangers and risks to the environment from droughts. Increasing the ability to produce “new” water from desalination is one step. Reusing of treated wastewater for agriculture is another one. Education and control on the daily consumption of the people will support and reduce the need for water by 10-15% on an annual basis.

Cooperation between the countries can also contribute a lot and can help supply an adequate quantity and good quality of water to the entire population in the region.

Found this interview useful? Read the rest of series below.

Raanan Boral on Israel’s Water Security and Sustainability Potential in Middle East

Karin Kloosterman — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 09:13:23 +0000

The Arab world is in a water crisis. That much we know from this week’s news. To encourage more regional cooperation, Green Prophet has been building on a series of interviews with influential water experts from Israel. In partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group we are gathering information to understand Israel’s water industry from the key players who maintain it. This series is intended to be a tool for policy makers to follow, for journalists to get on-the-ground contacts, and to eliminate some of the controversy vis a vis Israel’s water relations with the Palestinian Authority and its neighbours.

We’ve interviewed the past water commissioner of Israel Shimon Tal; the office of Uri Shani, the present water commissioner; as well as Gidon Bromberg, a TIME Magazine environment hero, and regional water champion. And we can’t forget Eli Ronen, the chairman of Mekorot, the country’s national water carrier.

Today we interview Raanan Boral, who has been working in the field of nature conservation and environment for more than 25 years. He has worked as an advisor to the Minister of Environment in Israel and directed the Environment Protection Division at the SPNI (Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel). Today Boral works as a consultant to non-government and private organizations.

Click below for our questions and Boral’s answers:

A1. I will start with the second part of the question – will Israel share imported water from Turkey with the PA and Jordan? The answer is definitely YES. Today the three entities are working in cooperation on the Red Sea Dead Sea water conduit, which aims to balance the Dead Sea water level and provide water to the three entities – foremost Jordan, the PA and Israel.

There is really no relevance to the source of water. It’s a question of quantity. With respect to importing water to the region from Turkey where freshwater is in excessive abundance, there is an opposition in Israel from the desalination industry against importing water as they prefer lack of competition.

The Israeli government has recently decided on a pilot project to import water from Turkey. In my view it is inevitable that this will be a significant source of water to the region in the future.

A2. Israel has several water sources; from three aquifers, purified sewage and desalination. The source with the largest potential for growth is desalination (and in turn purified waste water, but to a lesser extent).

Yet, there is a limit to the amount of desalination plants that the environment can sustain, and it is therefore my view that there is no other option but to import water from Turkey, as is done with other products.

The world doesn’t necessarily lack water, rather, as with natural resources, wealth and other components of life, it’s a question of distribution. Therefore it is reasonable to assume that water will be transported from one area to another, and Israel will not be able to be an exception to the rule.

A3. It is in Israel’s interest to find a political solution to the situation in the Middle East in general and with Lebanon in particular, not only for the sake of water but for all important aspects of peoples’ lives. With respect to the former questions there is a paradox; if the first issue (import water from Turkey) is executed the motivation to reach some sort of agreement with Lebanon, because of water, will decrease.

A4. Over-pumping is a severe problem in all aquifers in Israel and the West Bank. The tremendous increase in population and water demand combined with mismanagement of water resources has led to a drop in the water level in all aquifers. The solution lies in a combination of measures that include water preservation, desalination and import.

A5. Two parliament inquiry committees have determined that Israel needs a coherent, comprehensive and interdisciplinary long and short term policy for its water sector. The details of such a policy are beyond the scope of this questionnaire. They include some of the issues mentioned above – reduce water demand, increase water production by desalination and import water from areas where it is abundant. My view is that such a step would be a good beginning.

Interview With Eli Ronen, Chairman of Mekorot, Israel’s National Water Company

Karin Kloosterman — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:12:52 +0000

When we talk about water security in the Middle East, Israel could play a role in making water allocation a sustainable endeavour for this water-starved region. Partnering with the Strategic Foresight Group for its water series, Green Prophet interviews one of the most influential water company in Israel today: Mekorot.

We talk with Eli Ronen, the chairman of the board at Israel’s National Water Company – Mekorot. Founded in 1937, Mekorot has set up hundreds of water projects all over the country, and also globally – most recently it’s announced its intentions to desalinate California. Mekorot is also a pioneer in the field of new water technologies, handled by its WaTech division. Here are Ronen’s answers to the 5 questions we posed to him.

A1. The only way to purchase water from Turkey is by laying an underwater pipeline from Turkey to Israel. This solution was suggested to the Turkish officials, unfortunately there is no progress. If such pipeline is constructed, it will be possible to supply water to the entire Middle East: Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, P.A, Egypt and Israel. Bringing water by boats, as was suggested a few years ago, is neither efficient nor economical.

A2. The most beneficial regional solution is to construct the Red Dead canal in order to produce fresh water through desalination by means of hydroelectric energy. This water can be supplied to Jordan, P.A and Israel. Furthermore, it can save the Dead Sea which is being diminished year by year.

A3. -

A4. In order to preserve the aquifers excessive water pumping needs to decrease. This can be accomplished only after finding alternative sources of water such as re-used water for agriculture, brackish water and rehabilitation of contaminated wells.

A5. The answer to this question is mentioned in answers 2 and 4.

Arab World in Water Crisis, Reports Jordanian Journalist

Karin Kloosterman — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 07:00:16 +0000

A water conference in Jordan was a call to arms in Arab world to fight water insecurity. Photo: Water tanks on the roofs of buildings in Madaba, Jordan.

There are people in over 17 Arab countries living well below the water poverty line of 500 cubic metres annually, said Arab decision makers from around the Arab world, meeting on water insecurity this past Monday, in Jordan, reports the Jordan Times. They recognized climate change in the Middle East as an issue that will further impact their poorly-available water resources, noting that 75% of the surface water in the Arab world, originates from outside its borders.

Jordan is one of the most water poor countries in the Arab world, and its residents rely on bi-weekly water deliveries to their homes, that fill up tanks located on roofs or in underground wells.

Action to protect water sources in the Arab world is needed now, they appealed, while meeting at a scientific forum on Arab water security. Taking place in Jordan, and organised by the Arab Administrative Development Organization, the experts said new strategies are needed badly to help improve water management in the region, likely to face the brunt of climate change effects.

The game plan?

Strategies are needed to bridge the gap between supply and demand. Meanwhile, Jordan’s Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar said that Arab countries need to band together to protect their resources, while raising public awareness to the issue. He also encouraged sharing water resources, according to the article.

According to environment experts, Arab states face several threats due to increased drought and desertification, scarcity of water resources, increased salinity of groundwater and the spread of pest epidemics and diseases caused by the phenomenon.

So far, climate change has caused a 30 per cent reduction in the Kingdom’s surface water resources, as well as a decrease in the volume of rainfall and agricultural production, both of which the country and the Arab world heavily rely on.

The three-day meeting included water experts from Iraq, Jordan, Oman, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It’s a shame that the Arab world continues to purposefully lock Israel out of its round table discussions (at least publicly). A world-leader in water tech exports, cooperation among all Middle East countries, Arab or not, would be beneficial to curbing major foreseeable problems. NATO, for example, is already working to be that bridge, between Jordan and Israel.

::Jordan Times

Gidon Bromberg on Water Security and Sustainability in the Middle East

Karin Kloosterman — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:32:55 +0000

If you know water issues in the Middle East, then Gidon Bromberg, the Israeli director of EcoPeace, Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) will need no introduction.

Bromberg, with his Palestinian and Jordanian colleagues won a Time Magazine environment hero award in 2008 for their work at FoEME, a regional organization that brings together Jordanian, Palestinian and Israeli environmentalists to promote sustainable development and advance peace efforts in the Middle East.

FoEME is running several water projects that involve the rehabilitation of the Jordan River, protection of the region’s mountain aquifer and regional water cooperation for peace.

He was the perfect to interview for our water series, being done in partnership with the Strategic Foresight Group.

From this series, we hope to gather information and answers that will influence policy makers to help develop a sustainable water culture in the Middle East. And also to lead journalists in the right way when they are investigating the true nature of this regional conflict over water. Today we ask Bromberg 5 questions, the same questions we’ve asked Israel’s Water Commission office, and before that Shimon Tal, the past water commissioner of Israel.

Here are our questions for Bromberg:

A1. Water allocation from shared water resources is governed between Israel and Jordan by the Peace Treaty of 1994 and between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) by the Oslo Accords. Any water importation from Turkey to Israel will not be supplied as a gift but purchased with hard currency.

Israel could be a conduit where by Turkish water could pass through Israeli territory on its way to Jordan but that would need to be paid for by Jordan. Turkey, if it were to choose to, could import water directly to Gaza and from Gaza the PA could supply water to the West Bank. Israeli involvement is not all that necessary.

The resolution of water resource issues between Israel and Palestine should involve a fairer allocation, in favour of the Palestinians, of the shared waters of the Mountain Aquifer and access and riparian rights to the Jordan River system.

A2. Israel’s current desalination program poses serious problems to air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and marine pollution. Current levels of desalination proposed will also act as a disincentive to water conservation.

Israel’s focus on the supply side, and management only through massive expansion of desalination is not sustainable. Israel should see desalination technology as the last option rather than the first, and focus on the demand side of management as a means to meet fairer water allocation levels with the Palestinians.

On the regional level Israel, Jordan and Palestine (hopefully to be joined by Syria and Lebanon), must cooperate to rehabilitate the lower Jordan River and Dead Sea – based predominately on demand side measures and cooperate together to be world leaders in wise water use.

A3. Climate models predict that due to climate change the Litani River in Lebanon will this century cease to flow into the Mediterranean with Lebanon requiring all of its water. Israeli-Lebanese water cooperation should focus on wise water use and fair allocations and sustainable use of the shared tributary to the upper Jordan River.

A4. The ground water is a shared aquifer called the Mountain Aquifer unfairly shared between Israel and the West Bank. Over-pumping by Israel can cease based on policy changes at the political level. Once a Palestinian State is established arrangements will have to be agreed on for shared management of the joint aquifer.

FoEME has developed a paper on what a model water accord could look like. The second issue is pollution of this ground water mostly from Palestinian urban and rural sewage with the addition of smaller qualities of Israeli settlement sewage. Donor funds are urgently needed to build sewage treatment plants for the Palestinian communities. Agreements are now firmly in place between Israel and the PA to advance these projects if the funding can be found. The Israeli government must fully enforce laws to cease settlement pollution.

A5. Demand management in the urban, industrial and agricultural sectors needs to be at the forefront of sustainable water policy in Israel. Increasing the price of water in Israel is needed to better reflect its scarcity and its importance in providing ecological services. Together with the removal of water subsidies and trade barriers on the import of fruits and vegetables, rural communities in Israel need to be supported to promote alternative incomes. Appropriate domestic water technologies need to be introduced through regulation, such as rainwater harvesting, grey water reuse and waterless toilets.

A smaller measure of desalination (300mcm) is still required to guarantee domestic water supply during long periods of drought. Regional cooperation is required to more fairly allocate shared water sources between Israel and Palestine, to learn from best practices in demand and supply side management and for the rehabilitation of water systems such as the lower Jordan River that have been devastated due to unsustainable water policies in place by all sides.

Image credit: above photo of Bromberg (right) with Jordanian and Palestinian colleagues via TIME Magazine.

Water Security in the Middle East? From the Desk of Israel’s Water Commission

Karin Kloosterman — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 08:08:43 +0000

If you’ve been following Green Prophet, you’ll know we’re running a water series on Israeli water experts.

And we love the idea of hydro-diplomacy.

Hoping for some sustainable changes in the water sector for Israel and its neighbours, we’ve partnered with the Strategic Foresight Group to interview those people and organizations at the heart of Israel’s water industry.

Last week: Shimon Tal, the past Water Commissioner of Israel. Today from the office of Dr. Uri Shani, Israel’s current water commissioner. Responsible for the overall management of the nation’s water resources, this interview with the Israeli Water Commission office (Ministry of Infrastructure), includes information that policy makers, journalists and those following the Middle East water story, will love.

Read about how Israel formulates its water policy, the planning and development of the water economy, how it prevents the pollution of water sources, how Israel regulates streams and flood prevention; uses its overflow water, develops new water sources, uses waste water, and promotes the efficient use of water. See our questions below and read on for the answers.

A1. Israel does not have any formal negotiation with Turkey regarding freshwater supply at the moment. Transferring water from Turkey through Israel to Jordan and the Palestinians, on prices that will be agreed in advanced between all parties, is an appropriate possibility that should be considered. Israel is always aspiring towards regional cooperation in order to resolve the water problem in this region.

A2. As stated, Israel is aspiring towards regional cooperation in order to resolve the water problem in the Middle East. The ideas of freshwater supply from Turkey, and utilization of the Litani River, as mentioned on your third question, are positive issues for regional cooperation.

A3. Effective cooperation between Israel and other parties, and Lebanon, regarding an agreed and mutually beneficial use of the Litani River waters, can be highly valuable for both states and can also be highly beneficial to the region as well, including Jordan and the Palestinians.

There is a considerable amount of water in the Litani River, in regional terms: the average multi-annual amount as estimated today is about 700 million cubic meters. Only a fraction of that high amount is used, mostly for agriculture, in Southern Lebanon. Most of the water goes to waste, flowing into the sea (part of the water is also used for power generation, before it drains into the sea without any further use). As for the quality of the water, as far as we know most of the Litani waters are contaminated and not considered potable.

It is in essence a practically–pending agreement: technically, it would demand the development of a simple project (which is highly preferable), practically and economically, to any other known alternative for adding additional and significant amounts of water resources to the region and to the three above-mentioned consumers. Any solution, though, requires cooperation between all parties.

A4. Five years of severe drought in our area resulted in both a decrease in the amount of precipitation as well as a difference in the character of this precipitation. The natural recharge of both upper-water and groundwater sources was significantly reduced and this in turn gradually affected the quality of Israel’s water resources. The Israeli Water Authority is taking tremendous efforts to reduce the damage caused to these natural water resources and the descent in water levels that they have experienced. Efforts include:

a. Preserving minimum groundwater levels in all the basins in order to prevent irreversible damage and to prevent pollution of neighboring fresh water aquifers,
b. Ascertaining the exact volume of outflow from springs in order to preserve salt removing processes from the aquifers,
c. Ensuring a balanced distribution of water production in order to assure groundwater gradients, directions and flow regimes,
d. Conducting frequent monitoring of every water source in order to follow depletion in volume and quality, including condensation of monitoring networks in the tremendous expenses in areas of the high mountain and in the depth of the aquifer in order to follow negative regional influences,
e. Taking measures to prevent pollution from natural, agricultural or human sources, in order to minimize the volume and type of the pervasive pollutants to the aquifers.

There is no doubt that regional cooperation together with the Palestinian Authority, with the overall view of developing new (natural or artificial) water resources, as well as preventing the pollution of upper-water and groundwater sources, will significantly reduce the deterioration of both the quantity and quality of natural water resources in our area.

A5. In the last decade, the State of Israel has been taking significant measures to deal with climate change and with extreme climate conditions. The government made a series of decisions in order to increase the water supply and to restrict the water demand.

The steps included in this plan are:

a. Intensive use of marginal and recycled water (more than 60% of the agricultural irrigation is based on this kind of water).
b. Desalination of brackish water from natural sources.
c. Desalination of sea water (at the end of 2009, sea water desalination plants produce about 40% of the domestic demand and till 2014 the production will reach 600 million cubic meters per year which is more than 80% of the projected domestic consumption in that year).
d. Planning sea water desalination at this magnitude takes into account a decrease of 10% in the freshwater safe yield in the coming years and therefore has the intention to stabilize natural water resources in next decade.
e. Dramatic improvement in the efficiency of agriculture (more production for less water).
f. Cuts in allocations for agriculture.
g. Increasing water tariffs (to the actual cost).
h. Stepping water tariffs (relating to the consumed amount).
i. Levy on surplus domestic consumption (in drought years).
j. Distribution of water saving devices in the domestic sector.
k. Governmental campaign for water conservation.
l. Adopting a strong preventive maintenance approach (water losses in the range of 10% with a goal to reach to only 8%).

Israel Water Commission (promo video in Hebrew)

Click here to view the embedded video.

::Israel Water Commission (in Hebrew only, we’re afraid)

More on Israel’s water industry:
Interview with Shimon Tal, past water commission of Israel
All the Water in Israel: Interviews with Government, Analysts and Researchers
The Agricultural Roots of Israel’s Water Crisis
Israel and Jordan’s Red Dead Debate
Israel’s WATEC Water Conference, Makes a Splash