Category Archives: Water Management

التأثيرات البيئية لتحلية مياه البحر

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

تعتبر عملية التحلية عملية لإزالة الأملاح والمعادن من مياه البحر وتحويلها الى مصدر صالح للشرب. وهذه العملية مفيدة جداً في بعض المناطق التي تشهد طلباً متزايداً على المياه لندرتها والجفاف وازدياد عدد السكان وكذلك زيادة استهلاك المياه. ولأن المحيطات تغطي معظم سطح الأرض فإن توفر مياه البحر يعتبر حلاً مستداماً وطويل الأمد لواحدة من المشاكل التي لن تتلاشى بالوقت القريب. تم إنشاء 18 ألف محطة تحلية حول العالم بحلول عام 2015، وهذه المحطات تنتج 22870 مليون جالون من المياه العذبة يومياً، ويعتقد الخبراء المائيين أن تحلية المياه – بجانب التكنولوجيا المستقبلية – ستشكل مفتاحاً لبناء مجتمعات مقاومة للجفاف في العالم … Continue reading →

Strategic Ways to Improve Water Security in the GCC

By | | ,
2 Comments

Water security has become an increasingly hot topic in the GCC as regional governments struggle to meet the water needs of a rapidly increasing population. If population and development levels maintain their fast-paced upward trajectory, so too will the demand for water, food, and energy increase at the same rate. The Gulf region as a whole remains geographically handicapped in the sense no major rivers flow through it, and it possesses few renewable aquifer endowments. Therefore, there is an urgent need for these states to manage their scarce water resources efficiently. Currently, the states rely heavily on groundwater sources, followed … Continue reading →

The Retreat of the Tigris River and Its Impact on Biodiversity in Northern Iraq

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

The Tigris River, one of Mesopotamia’s twin lifelines, plays a vital ecological and socioeconomic role in northern Iraq. However, over the past two decades, it has undergone significant hydrological decline. This retreat, driven by a combination of climate change, upstream damming, and poor water governance, has caused a cascading effect on ecosystems and livelihoods, particularly in the northern provinces of Iraq such as Nineveh, Dohuk, and parts of Erbil. The drop in water levels in the Tigris River has: Severely impacted agricultural lands, especially in riparian zones that once depended on natural flooding cycles for soil fertility Diminished fish populations … Continue reading →

Water Scarcity and Mining: Navigating Environmental Pressures in the MENA Mineral Sector

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Water in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is precious, but demand for the region’s copper, phosphate and rare-earth deposits keeps climbing. Those who are a part of this sector face a daily trade-off — unlock mineral wealth or safeguard every drop. The latest research uncovers how forward-thinking operators already make water-smart mining the norm. Water Stress — The Non-negotiable Starting Point In 2023, the average renewable water supply for each person in MENA hovered around 480 cubic meters — well below the 1,000 cubic-meter threshold that signals scarcity and barely one-tenth of the global mean. To complicate matters, … Continue reading →

Persian Wheel for Lifting Water – Another Ancient Innovation

By | | , ,
Leave a comment

Lifting water can increase the area that can be farmed, improve agricultural productivity, and provide drinking water. A Persian Wheel lifts water with animal or human power when there is insufficient flow for a noria. The animal energy was often supplied by a team of oxen. The Persian wheel may have been invented in Persia, Egypt, Kush (Sudan), Nubia, India, or even China. The earliest reference is found in the Panchatantra (c. 3rd century BCE), where it was known as an araghaṭṭa a combination of the words ara (spoked wheel) and ghaṭṭa “pot” in Sanskrit. Early Mediterranean evidence of a … Continue reading →

The Environmental Impacts of Seawater Desalination

By | | , ,
3 Comments

Desalination is a process that removes salt and minerals from seawater and turns it into a potable resource. It is extremely helpful in areas experiencing rising water demands due to water scarcity, droughts, growing populations and increased water consumption. With the ocean covering most of the Earth’s surface, seawater provides a sustainable, long-term solution to a problem that won’t soon dissipate. By 2015, 18,000 desalination plants had cropped up worldwide, producing 22,870 million gallons of fresh water per day. Experts believe desalination, coupled with future advancements in technology, could be the key to establishing drought-proof communities worldwide. A clean source … Continue reading →

MBBR Technology in Wastewater Treatment: Things You Should Know

By | | ,
5 Comments

Moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) is a biological technology used for wastewater treatment process suitable for municipal and industrial application. Another common name is moving bed film reactor. It was invented in the 1980s. MBBR offer an economical solution for wastewater treatment. STP MBBR technology is the use of a moving bed biofilm reactor in sewage treatment plants. MBBR wastewater treatment system enables efficient results of the disposal using low energy. The technology is used to separate organic substances, nitrification and denitrification. MBBR design is made of an activated sludge aeration system. The sludge is collected on the plastic carriers … Continue reading →

Water Crisis in Gaza

By | | ,
1 Comment

Gaza Strip has been enduring constant Israeli bombardment for many years which has resulted in severe damages to its infrastructure and to its citizens. However the real risk is Gaza’s lack of usable water.  The only natural source of fresh water in Gaza is a shallow aquifer on the southern part of its coast; 90 to 95% of which is not safe for drinking because of neighboring seawater, sewage, and runoff from agriculture. Even though most of it is not fit for consumption, residents have no other choice but to resort to using it. UN hydrologists have indicated that current extraction … Continue reading →

The Promise of Bioremediation

By | | , ,
3 Comments

Ecosystems are permanently challenged with the abundant release of toxic compounds into the environment due to a wide range of anthropogenic activities. Apparently, contamination with oil spills and oily waste disposal are a major global concern since it’s extensively damaging the biodiversity, threatening the public health and has severe ecological and socioeconomic consequences. For example, in 1989, thousands metric tons of crude oil spill in Alaska, led to a massive loss in the marine life as well as several long-term environmental impact. Minor oil spills and non-point oil contamination are no less threats to public health, biodiversity and environment. Awareness … Continue reading →

The Case for Renewables-Powered Desalination in MENA

By | | , ,
16 Comments

Desalination is a water treatment process that separates salts from saline water to produce potable water. The desalination process uses large amount of energy to produce pure water from saltwater source, such as seawater. Saltwater is fed into the process, and the result is an output stream of pure water and another stream of waster with high salt concentration. Desalination techniques are mainly classified into two types: Processes based on physical change in the state of the water, and Processes using a membrane that employ the concept of filtration. There are more than 20,000 industrial-scale desalination units worldwide, with combined … Continue reading →

How to Conserve Water at Home: An Easy Guide

By | | , ,
2 Comments

There is no doubt that we are spoilt in the developed world: We use far too much water, and we really should be doing something about it. The problem is that we live in houses that are already predisposed to wasting water. Granted, these days, if you buy a new home, it should be environmentally sound with the latest domestic water conservation strategies in place. However, what if you live in an older house or in a more modern one that has been poorly maintained? This article sheds light on where you are using the most water and how you … Continue reading →

Tips for Hot Water Conservation in Households

By | |
5 Comments

The use of hot water in homes, offices, commercial centers, educational buildings and institutions increases manifolds during winter months. The demand of hot water for showers, laundry and washing makes up more than a third of an average household’s water and energy use in winter. The conservation of energy is essential as the cost of both electricity and water is increasing steadily and the consumers will have to pay more for energy and water bills. The main areas of hot water usage in residential areas are bathroom and kitchen. Bathing consumes up to 62 liters of hot water on an … Continue reading →