Water Shortages in MENA: A Trigger for Resilience & Innovation

Water has been – and will continue to be – a key shaper of life on earth. It is a major driver for the rise, dismantle, and displacement of civilizations. History has shown that water could be a cause of peace and conflict among nations.  From a more practical perspective, water is at the heart of socioeconomic and environmental development agendas. The MENA region is the most water-scarce region in the world, a situation being magnified by climate change and political instability. While the impacts of such amplified water challenge are becoming more visible, the indirect and unmeasured impacts on … Continue reading

The Rapid Degradation of Wadi Gaza

In recent years, environmental crisis has worsened in the Palestine, Gaza Strip in particular, with solid waste, sewage and air pollution being the major issues. The key reason for environmental degradation in the Gaza Strip has been the difficult economic situation and an unending Israeli blockade. Wadi Gaza (or the Gaza Valley) which is located in the middle of Gaza Strip has been transformed from being the most substantial natural ecosystems in Palestine to the most deteriorated regions. Wadi Gaza can be described as one of the largest natural wetlands in Palestine with a length of 105 km. This area has … Continue reading

أهمية المحافظة على المياه المنزلية

تعاني منطقة الشرق الاوسط من ندرة المياه وسوء الإدارة للموارد المائية. وعلى الرغم من الإستثمارات الضخمة في قطاع المياه، لا تزال قضية إدارة المياه شكل خطوره من الناحية الإقتصادية والبيئية في جميع أنحاء هذه المنطقة. الإستهلاك المفرط للمياه هي قضية خطيرة ويعتبر معدل استخدام نصيب الفرد من المياه في معظم بلدان الشرق الأوسط أعلى كثيرا من المعدل العالمي. فعلى سبيل المثال، متوسط استهلاك المقيمين في كل من الإمارات العربية المتحدة والسعودية حوالي 250 لترا و550 لترا من المياه يوميا على التوالي. بينما معدل استخدام الفرد للمياه في المملكة المتحدة وألمانيا حوالي 127 لترا و150 لترا من المياه يوميا على التوالي. … Continue reading

Water Conservation Strategies to Increase Water Efficiency

To deal with water management challenges, it is important to bring a balance between both water supply and demand side. This can be done by employing strategies to increase water efficiency and water conservation. Water conservation strategies for the Middle East include reducing the use of potable water where possible, find alternative source of water for various water usage and increase the water efficiency of fixtures and equipment. Efficient strategies along with water monitoring that tracks water consumption and identifies problems can significantly reduce both indoor and outdoor water consumption in water-scarce Middle East countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and … Continue reading

Towards New Partnerships in Water Management

Market-exchange economy and territory-bound nation state were not designed to accommodate a communication revolution that can envelop the globe and connect everyone and everything on the planet simultaneously. The result is that we are witnessing the birth of a new economic system and new governing institutions that are as different from market capitalism and the modern territorial state as the latter were from the feudal economy and dynastic rule of an era ago. Markets, in effect, are linear, discrete and discontinuous modes of operation. The new communications technologies and partnerships, by contrast, are cybernetic, not linear. The operational assumptions that … Continue reading

Strategic Water Management in the 21st Century

The global water crisis in the 21st century is related to many economic, political, and social factors. A lot of people believe that the main reason behind the crisis lies in poor strategic water management and not in the lack of resources. It is estimated that in a few years almost half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas, such as MENA, where inhabitants will struggle to gain access to clean water. Saving the Environment It is no secret that the environmental pollution is affecting every aspect of our lives. But when it comes to water resources, the … Continue reading

العاصفه اليكسا – الجوانب الايجابيه لمنطقه الشرق الاوسط

شهد العام 2013 تحول في التاريخ عندما اجتاحت العاصفة اليكسا منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا حيث جلبت العواصف الثلجية والأمطار الغزيرة والرياح الجليدية لهذه المنطقة التي لم تشهد مثل هذه العاصفة منذ أكثر من 100 عام.  حيث تسببت العاصفة اليكسا بالفيضانات المدمرة في المدن العربية، مثل غزة، وانقطاع التيار الكهربائي في بعض مناطق الأردن.و تساقطت الثلوج بغزارة في الأردن و التي  غطت الشوارع، مما أعاق الحركة واجبرت الناس على المكوث في منازلهم لعدة أيام.  لقد جلبت هذه العاصفة أيضا المشقة والبؤس لللاجئين السوريين حيث  عانوا البرد القارس في خيام هشة وملاجئ مؤقتة. الجوانب الايجابيه لا نريد التقليل من شأن  الصعوبات و … Continue reading

Islamic Framework on Integrated Water Resources Management

The Islamic perspective on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework provides a holistic approach to look at the entire spectrum of water management components, i.e, water resources, uses, treatment and resue. Islam provides policies and principles that address all elements of the framework for . At the resource level, Islam teaches that the Universe and humans are created by God. And the source of water is from God, the creator, however, Islam believes in the rational and pragmatic explanations of science. The first verse in Quran is “Read” and there are many references in Quran that urge humans to think … Continue reading

Why You Need an Eco-Friendly Water Filter at Home

There is no doubt that water plays a vital role in our daily lives. Come to think of it, there must be a reason as to why it’s often referred to as ” life”. Basically, everything we do revolves around it. You cook with it, use it to shower, drink, clean, water plants and the list is endless. Therefore,  weighing all these uses, it’s apparent that we need to pay close attention to the source and state of the water we use to avoid contaminates. From the famous chlorine, pesticides to the less known prescription drugs, there is so much … Continue reading

Climate Change Impacts in the GCC

The GCC countries face multitude of climate change challenges including desertification, biodiversity loss, water scarcity and sea level rise. The region is characterized by high temperature, high humidity and arid lands resulting in seriously degraded soil and land damage in addition to salt intrusion in the aquifers affecting the small scale agricultural lands thus enhancing the food security threat in the region. All of the above geographical threats have therefore increased and activated the participation of GCC states in global negotiations recently as evidence are uncovered and impacts being felt across the region. If a couple of days of rain … Continue reading

إستراتيجيات الحفاظ على المياه في الشرق الأوسط

للتعامل مع تحديات إدارة المياه العذبة في الشرق الأوسط , لابد من إحداث توازن بين مخزون المياه الموجود و حجم الطلب . وهذا التوازن ممكن أن يحقق من خلال توظيف إستراتيجيات تزيد من كفاءة المياه و الحفاظ عليها . استراتيجيات حفظ المياه في الشرق الأوسط تتضمن التقليل قدر الإمكان من إستخدام المخزون المائي القابل للنقل , إيجاد مصادر مياه بديلة للإستعمالات المتعددة و زيادة كفاءة استخدام المياه من معدات و تجهيزات مناسبة . الإستراتيجيات الفعالة بالإضافة إلى مراقبة المياه التي تتعقب عملية استخدامها  و تحديد المشاكل , ممكن أن تخفض الإستهلاك الداخلي و الخارجي للمياه بشكل ملحوظ في الدول التي تعاني … Continue reading

Water Line Maintenance: Importance and Benefits

Regular water line maintenance is essential as it ensures continuous water supply and prevents pipes from bursting which is costly to repair and replace. Water is vital to every home and hence the need to ensure that there is a good flow of water into your home. Some homeowners prefer to inspect their water lines to cut down costs but, in the long run, it will be costly if you do not get professional services. Various plumbing service in Singapore offer these services to homeowners, and you can use the internet to find the most reputable. Below are the importance … Continue reading