30 July - 5 August 2012 - orsam

Issue 87
ORSAM WATER BULLETIN
30 July – 05 August 2012
33% decrease in Garmian wheat production
EBRD Expansion Tied to Arab Spring
Iranian Government Concerned About Possible Shortage
Al-Wand River Issue between Iraq and Iran
Armenia to Help Iran Save Lake
Arab Spring Must Also Weather Environmental Threats
Syrians in Need of Food Aid to Reach 3 Million on Conflict
Israel Approves New Water Quality Standards
Attili: Israeli settlers draining Palestinian water supply
90% of Gaza water "unsafe for drinking," says UN
Water wars will be the future
Using water as a weapon in the West Bank
Water Crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Continues
Palestinians struggle for access to water
Israel: A superpower of sustainability
Israeli Company Wins Gates Foundation Grant for Water-Free Toilet
Gaza Residents' Health Suffers from Water Pollution
Security forces to protect water resources from vandalism, theft
Settlers yearn for ‘environment without borders’ – and without Palestinians
Green Cities
Consolidating an occupation
Solving the Water Crisis in Palestine
Palestine must solve water crisis, Abbas says
Water pollution putts Gazans' health in danger
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Egypt PM Creates New Utility, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministries
Nile Basin Countries Concerned by Israel-South Sudan Water Agreement
Eritrean Government Spends $7 Million USD to Improve Tesenei Water Supply
Millions Without Power in North India, Water May Be Next
Monsoon, or later
Finally, monsoon revives
India, Bangladesh to Meet on Tipaimukh Dam in August
Pakistan Researchers Use Nanotechnology to Make Water From Fog
China Water Signs Joint Venture With Henan Province
News Analysis: Monsoons, vortexes cause extreme rains in N. China
China’s Hebei Province Says Its Water Quality Beats National Average
Chinese Firm to Conduct Feasibility Study of Bolivian Hydropower Plant
Bolivia’s Water for Life Law Will Require Industries to Build Treatment Plants
Ugandan Parliament Members Vow to Block Reinstatement of Water Tax
South African Water Firm Investigated for Corruption
African States Mull National Umbrella Funds to Deal With Climate Change
Climate change study forces sceptical scientists to change minds
Ecological Footprint and Sustainability Options in the Arab Countries
Islamic Bank Allocates Nearly $1 Billion USD for Water, Energy, Food Security in
Africa, Central Asia
ASEAN Nations Discuss Strategic Water Management Plan
Low Water Levels Reduces Kyrgyzstan Power Export
Poor Water Quality Water Leads to Hepatitis Outbreaks in Kyrgyzstan
Turkmenistan Plans to Revive Aral Sea Coast
Coca-Cola and Its Bottlers Aim for 20 Percent Water Reduction This Year
U.S. Drought and Climate Change: Science Points to Link
UN: Tens of Thousands Without Drinking Water in N.Korea
Russia’s Orenburg Region Plans Regional Water Strategy
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33% decrease in Garmian wheat production
ERBIL, July 31 (AKnews) – Wheat production in Garmian reduced 33 percent this year in
comparison to 2011, announced the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources in the Kurdistan
Region.
Head of the receivables committee in the district Hikmat Ahmed said: "Wheat production has
reached 12,000 tons this year while last year it was 18,000 tons.
"The reason for the decrease in production of wheat in Garmian was due to the drought that has
affected the region during the current year."
The Kurdistan Region needs 600,000 tons of wheat every year. The region's production of wheat has
reached 500,000 tons of wheat in one year.
―33% decrease in Garmian wheat production‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://www.aknews.com/en/aknews/2/319500/
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EBRD Expansion Tied to Arab Spring
LONDON, United Kingdom — The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development‘s (EBRD)
entry into the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean (SEMED) region is very much part of the story of
the Arab Spring, according to Hildegard Gacek, the bank‘s managing director for the region.
―The Arab Spring triggered strong support from some of our shareholders to enter a region we were
originally not designed for,‖ she told OOSKAnews.
The EBRD will apply the experience it has built up supporting the process of economic and
democratic change in Eastern Europe to this new market.
―We were created to support the transition of ex-Soviet Union countries to market economies,‖
Gacek said. ―This is our transition mandate. Our shareholders see a need for our transition
knowledge, know-how and experience in a number of sectors in the new region, supporting
companies in moving to a larger market economy, job creation and economic growth.‖
The bank has a three-phase program to respond to the needs of the SEMED region. In 2011, when the
bank‘s Board of Governors gave the green light to prepare for entering the new region (currently
Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia), work began to assess the transition gaps in the four countries,
identify and prepare investment projects, build the capacities of prospective clients and foster
cooperation with other institutions working in the region.
To become EBRD countries of operations, the four countries will have to demonstrate their
commitment to and application of the principles of multi-party democracy, pluralism and market
economics, according to the bank‘s Articles of Association.
―We are new to that region, so we have a lot of groundwork to do,‖ Gacek noted.
This assessment identified the key priorities where it was thought the bank‘s experience in a number
of sectors could be useful, she added. This work is being undertaken during the bank‘s own transition
period, in which its charter is being changed to make the new countries eligible for EBRD financing.
―We are assuming that as of September the legal phase will be finished,‖ Gacek said.
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The bank‘s clear mandate to start its operations is to work with the private sector, she observed.
―However, in exceptional cases we will finance projects in the public sector.‖
The bank will have a strong focus on small and medium enterprises including agribusiness,
manufacturing and services, ICT and infrastructure companies that have private investors.
―The EBRD will provide credit lines through local banks so that funding can flow down to smaller
SMEs that the bank could not finance directly,‖ she explained.
―We would like to reach out to a large number of SMEs through the banks, where they can get
funding through the SME credit line we have developed very successfully in the past,‖ she added.
The water sector belongs to the ―municipal infrastructure‖ sector, which encompasses projects the
bank undertakes with municipalities or utilities and means financing without state guarantees, Gacek
said.
―Water and wastewater are very classical projects we are financing in this area, particularly in Jordan
and Egypt although also in Morocco and Tunisia.
―One of the key challenges these governments have is that there is a lot of loss of water as there is a
lot of waste. A lot of investment is needed simply to save water because it is such a scarce resource.‖
The governments of all four countries have indicated that they may need considerable investment in
the sector in the future, but that their immediate priority is to reduce water losses and wastage.
―There are immediate savings, not just in money terms but more importantly to ensure sources of
water are as well managed as possible,‖ she adds. ―This has a net impact on government budgets and
on people‘s budgets.‖
The first key milestone for the bank will be to become fully operational, setting up its offices in the
new region.
―We are a real little bank in the field, so we need bankers,‖ Gacek said. Most will be local, and will
be trained.
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―You have to be very close to the water authorities to understand issues such as tariffs, and
particularly with the water sector you cannot deal with it on an isolated basis -- you have to develop
clear relationships,‖ she said.
These relationships would encompass governments, business, civil society representatives, sister
financial institutions, and even the diplomatic corps, which Gacek described as ―a very good source
of information when trying to attract investors.‖
―We have to make our name known so that people are aware we can partner with them and share the
risk,‖ she added.
―EBRD Expansion Tied to Arab Spring‖, 01/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/ebrdexpansion-tied-arab-spring_23657
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Iranian Government Concerned About Possible Shortage
TEHRAN (Trend News Agency) — Iran can soon become a drought prone country, and left without
water, Head of Iran's Water management resources department in Alborz province, Behzad Parsa
said, ILNA reported. Parsa said that right and rational use of water resources is needed in Iran, as this
is the only way for proper control of the sources. He added that considering the rising population,
lack of proper investments and bad management can soon lead to Iran becoming a drought prone
country. Iran has experienced several droughts in recent years, especially in the south where it gets
hit by violent sand storms that engulfed several cities. Sand storms particularly enter Iran from
neighbouring Iraq where desertification has increased over the last two decades due to wars. "About
1,700 c/m of water should be availabe for use per one person in the country," Parsa said. "If this
figure falls to 1000 or even 500 c/m, the country will then experience the water crisis." He added that
according to predictions, if the situation with water in Iran does not change, then by 2020-2025 Iran
will become drought prone. The only way, as Parsa sees it, is to better control and manage country's
water resources.
―Iranian Government Concerned About Possible Shortage‖, 02/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/iranian-government-concerned-about-possible-shortage_23689
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Al-Wand River Issue between Iraq and Iran
In recent years, especially in the summer season when there are little if any precipitations, the news
about Iran‘s cutting flow of transboundary waters has reappeared. The report prepared last week by
UK-based Institute of Development Studies (IDS) includes Iran‘s blocking the flow of Al-Wand
River and its negative effects on Iraq.
A great number of rivers and waterways intersect at the Iraq-Iran border, spanning 1200 km. Along
the border, more than 42 waterways cross the borders of these countries. All of these waters spring
from the mountains in western Iran and join the marshes, the Tigris and Shatt al-Arab rivers.
Being the most important tributary of Diyala River that causes Iran from time to time some problems
about the amount of water flow to Iraq, the Al-Wand River has two major tributaries in Iran: Dara
and Said Sadek. The Al-Wand River rises in Iran‘s Dolahu Mountains and flows 5.74 billion cubic
meters of water to the Tigris River. The river is 152 km long and 82 km of it is within the borders of
Iran, while 63 km of it is in Iraq‘s territory. Al-Wand River creates problems between Iran and Iraq
especially in dry seasons. The city of Khanaqin in Iraq is divided in two parts with Al-Wand River
that played an important role in the development of regional agriculture and in the establishment of
strong rural society. As the river is used for both drinking and irrigating water, its aridity caused a
great damage in the province of Diyala, where the fruit production is intense. During the three-year
long drought in the region between 2007 and 2009, thousands of decare agricultural lands were
damaged. At that period, in October 2009, Iran declared that it would let the flow of more water from
the waters of Al-Wand river. Similarly, last year in July 2011, Iraq accused Iran of cutting the river
flow. Iraqi officials stated that the drying river causes a great damage on the agricultural sector. The
escalation of this occasional tension as a result of Iran‘s derivation of the river waters stopped after
the promise of Iranian authorities on newspapers of 25 July 2011 to let flow of more water from the
al-Wand River.
Flowing through Khanaqin, described as the ―breadbasket‖ of Iraq, and separating it into two parts,
Al-Wand is a significant source of water especially for the farmers living in Hanakin region. This
year, the news related to the cut of the river waters include, like last year, the necessity that the
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equired amount of water for irrigation and stockbreeding in Hanekin region must be 6-7 cubic
meters per second with the rising temperature. These news also point out the information that the
river waters flow only 0.25 cubic meters per second within Iraqi borders. Khanaqin Chamber of
Water Resources added that the insufficiency of the existing water flow damaged the environment
and the agricultural and stockbreeding sectors to a great degree and that the agricultural lands had all
gone dry. It is also emphasized in the report that 10% of regional cultivated lands have dried and that
some of the farmers were left homeless as a result of the drought. Moreover, the product quality
declined and there is a 80% yield loss, according to the report.
In spite of the drought, over-exploitation of water resources and the decline in the precipitation,
Iranian government realizes water projects and especially water transfers between the basins in order
to meet the water demands of the rapid growth rate of Iranian population and the expanding urban
structure. As to Iraq, it is planning to realize a number of projects concerning the evaluation and the
storage of water resources during the rapid population growth and intense and rapid urbanisation
process, especially in KRG. Both countries centered on realizing some projects especially on the
tributaries of Tigris River and these projects were designed independently from one another and
during the same period. This creates some problems about the use of such water resources as the al-
Wand River and it is predicted that this problem will become more and more chronic.
―Al-Wand River Issue between Iraq and Iran‖, Tuğba Evrim Maden, ORSAM, 24/07/2012, online at:
http://www.orsam.org.tr/en/WaterResources/showAnalysisAgenda.aspx?ID=1832
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Armenia to Help Iran Save Lake
TEHRAN (Eurasia Review) — A senior Iranian official announced that Iran is enlisting Armenia‘s
aid to resolve the rapid drying of Lake Oroumiyeh. MohammadJavad Mohammadzadeh, the head of
Iran‘s Environment Protection Organization, announced today that Iran and Armenia have agreed on
transferring water from Armenia to counter the critical fall in Lake Oroumiyeh‘s water levels. He
remarked that hot weather and a lack of precipitation have brought the lake to its lowest water levels
ever recorded. He added that recovery plans for the lake include the transfer of water from Eastern
Azerbaijan Province. Previously, Iranian authorities had announced a plan to transfer water from the
Aras River, which borders Iran and Republic of Azerbaijan. But that country objected, and the 950-
billion-touman plan was scrapped. Armenia and Iran recently signed an agreement to cooperate on
environmental projects. Iran maintains that the drying of Lake Oroumiyeh would be a ―national
environmental catastrophe‖ that could also have adverse effects on neighbouring countries. Iranian
officials have reported that half of the lake, a surface area of more than 3,000 square kilometres, has
dried up and turned into salt fields.
―Armenia to Help Iran Save Lake‖, 03/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/armenia-helpiran-save-lake_23707
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Arab Spring Must Also Weather Environmental Threats
The Arab uprisings mark a watershed moment for the region as it embarks on an era of historic
change. Yet the euphoria that first accompanied the popular revolts has yielded to more sober
assessments of the deep-seated challenges embedded in these complex transformations. In particular,
the region faces significant economic tests. The Arab world must create an estimated 50 million jobs
over the next decade to meet the demands of its expanding labor force. Less apparent, but equally
worrying, are the myriad environmental threats that could derail the Arab transitions. Acute stress
related to water and food scarcity, climate change and increased urbanization undermine
productivity, endanger public health, and sap the natural resource base.
According to the World Bank, environmental degradation already costs an annual average of 2.1% of
GDP in Tunisia, 2.4% in Jordan, 3.7% in Morocco, and 5% in Egypt. Creative solutions to address
these environmental threats could also unlock the potential for economic growth and job creation,
transforming one of the region‘s pre-eminent challenges into a significant opportunity. ―Greening‖
Arab economies by adopting innovative technologies and forward-leaning government policies
would create jobs, mitigate environmental risks and place the region at the forefront of broader global
efforts toward sustainable development.
Water scarcity poses a perennial threat to economic vitality and social welfare across the region,
which is the most water stressed in the world. Demographic trends and global warming will
aggravate these water issues in coming decades. As the region‘s population doubles over the next 40
years, water availability per capita is projected to plummet 50%. Unmet demand could more than
double in Jordan and soar eleven-fold in Egypt.
Increasingly, the Arab world‘s water troubles intersect with concerns about food supplies. Arab
countries are already the world‘s largest net food importers, buying 25-50% of their total national
consumption from abroad. This strategy has helped curb domestic water usage by easing agricultural
requirements, but it has also rendered the countries vulnerable to global price fluctuations of staple
crops. Following the 2007-08 global food crisis, for example, many countries across the region saw
the cost of basic food items skyrocket, draining public budgets while breeding popular disaffection
that ultimately led to the Arab uprisings.
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Global warming threatens to exacerbate these potential food security risks, further undermining the
region‘s political and economic stability. The International Food Policy Research Institute calculates
that the combined constraints of decreasing water availability and increasing climate change could
diminish regional crop yields 7-10% by 2050. To offset this drop and keep pace with mounting
demand, the Arab world will need to import 45-62 million metric tons of cereals. But climate change
will impact agricultural production worldwide, increasing global food prices. By mid-century, wheat
prices could double due to the impact of climate change. Because they are so dependent on imports,
Arab nations are especially vulnerable to such price shocks. In Egypt, for example, the World Bank
estimates that a 30% jump in food prices results in a 12% increase in poverty.
Booming urbanization further amplifies the region‘s environmental challenges. Propelled by rapid
rural-to-urban migration, the Arab urban population has quadrupled in the past 40 years and will
double again in the next 40. Jordan and Libya now figure among the most urbanized countries in the
world with four-fifths of their people living in cities. This urban growth also fuels greater demand for
energy, food and water, sometimes overwhelming local infrastructure capacities.
While the region‘s environmental risks are significant, imaginative approaches to these challenges
can offer valuable opportunities. Practical policies to alleviate environmental problems can
simultaneously generate employment and spur economic growth, if designed and implemented
properly. From agriculture to energy to tourism, transforming these traditional sectors into a ―green‖
economy holds the dual promise of job creation and environmental sustainability. A 2011 report by
the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) outlines a detailed strategy for
developing ―green‖ economies. Numerous sectors are profiled in the report including:
Construction — ―Greening‖ just one-fifth of the Arab world‘s construction stock and
retrofitting buildings to enhance energy and water efficiency, would create 4 million jobs and
pay for itself in 2-7 years by trimming costly resource consumption.
Waste Management — Adopting green methods for waste management including reuse,
recycling and recovery would save Arab countries $5.7 billion annually. It would create jobs
given the labor intensity of these practices, as well as stimulating new industries that would
evolve both upstream and downstream.
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Agriculture — Promoting organic farming and sustainable agriculture would protect
environmental resources while also creating new jobs in the agriculture sector. The region
could also appeal to the growing global market for organic produce.
Renewable Energy — The International Labor Organization has highlighted renewable
energy as particularly promising for job creation, noting that job growth in the sector has
increased by 21% annually across the globe. Investment in the renewable energy sector could
yield significant job creation in the Arab world, potentially more than 500,000 new jobs
according to some estimates.
Beyond its job creation potential, renewable energy offers promising avenues for promoting
innovation and economic growth. Geography and climate endow the Middle East with the world‘s
greatest potential for solar-power production, not to mention abundant wind energy potential.
Particularly for oil-importing countries, solar and wind power could help fill rising energy needs
while cutting air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering energy-import bills.
Public officials and private firms alike increasingly recognize the advantages of seizing such
opportunities. Morocco, for instance, plans to install 2,000 MW of solar capacity in the country by
2020. At the same time, several international initiatives, such as the German-led DESERTEC
consortium and the recently announced English-Tunisian, TuNur, joint venture, aim to invest billions
of dollars in the region to establish networks of renewable energy projects linking Arab countries to
each other, as well as to export markets in Europe and Africa.
Transitioning to green economies in the Arab world will help to ensure that the region fulfills the
promise held by this period of historic transformation. The intertwining challenges of climate change,
water and food scarcity, coupled with increased urbanization, present a particularly complex
problem. The pathway to mitigating these threats could unlock critical synergies that not only reduce
environmental degradation, but als lead to job creation and economic growth. .
―Arab Spring Must Also Weather Environmental Threats‖, 30/07/2012, online at: http://www.almonitor.com/pulse/originals/2012/al-monitor/how-green-economies-can-sustain.html
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Syrians in Need of Food Aid to Reach 3 Million on Conflict
Syrians requiring food aid will number 1.5 million over the next three to six months, especially in
areas that have seen most conflict and population displacement, the UN‘s Food & Agriculture
Organization reported.
The people requiring nutritional support are expected to reach 3 million over the next 12 months, the
Rome-based agency wrote in a report on its website today, citing an assessment by the United
Nations and the Syrian government.
Violence that started in March last year has left at least 19,000 people dead, according to the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, with fighting intensifying in the past few months as troops loyal to
the government clashed with rebels. Syria‘s agriculture sector has lost $1.8 billion this year as a
result of the crisis and damages to crops, livestock and irrigation systems, according to the FAO.
―While the economic implications of these losses are quite grave, the humanitarian implications are
far more pressing,‖ Muhannad Hadi, the World Food Programme‘s Syria representative, was cited as
saying in the report. ―The effects of these major losses are first, and most viciously, felt by the
poorest in the country.‖
About 1 million people need crop and livestock assistance such as seeds, animal feed, fuel and repair
of irrigation pumps, the FAO wrote.
Syria‘s winter-grain crop is in jeopardy because of escalating conflict and drought, the FAO wrote in
a report dated July 26. Grain import requirements may jump to 5 million metric tons in the year
through June from 3.51 million tons in 2011-12, the agency estimates.
―Farmers have been forced to either abandon farming or leave standing crops unattended due to the
unavailability of labor, the lack of fuel and the rise in fuel costs, and insecurity, as well as power cuts
affecting water supply,‖ the FAO wrote in the report today.
―Syrians in Need of Food Aid to Reach 3 Million on Conflict‖, 02/08/2012, online at:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-02/syrians-in-need-of-food-aid-to-reach-3-million-on-conflict-1-
.html?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=5c3cc127bc-
RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Israel Approves New Water Quality Standards
Israel, JERUSALEM — The Israeli Knesset‘s Internal Affairs and Environmental Protection committee has
approved new regulations on the sanitary quality of Israel‘s drinking water, putting the country on par with
leading standards worldwide.
The new regulations update the previous Public Health Regulations on the quality of drinking water, which
were established back in 1974.
Key changes to the regulations include the addition of 40 substances to the list of chemical compounds
monitored, tightening of the microbial standard, a requirement to filter all drinking water from surface water
sources such as Lake Tiberias, and real-time reporting and transparency.
Israel‘s Ministry of Health insisted that fluoride be added to Israel‘s water supply in order to fight tooth decay.
This was opposed by environmentalists and water experts, who argued that fluoride could cause a series of
potentially serious ailments. However, the Health Ministry was granted a one-year permit to trial the addition
of fluoride to drinking water, which will be reviewed when the permit expires.
The Health Ministry also argued for restoring magnesium to desalinated water; the mineral is lost in the
process of desalination.
Israeli governmental departments have been mulling the addition of magnesium to desalinated water for more
than three years. The cost of the exercise has been the main prohibitive factor.
The Health Ministry has estimated the cost at about $5 million USD a year, whereas Israel‘s Water Authority
has estimated it could be $25 million USD or more, according to local press reports. The cost would be passed
directly to consumers.
In a compromise, an experimental facility at one of Israel‘s desalination plants will test the addition of
magnesium to desalinated water, and the committee will review the decision in three years.
―Israel Approves New Water Quality Standards‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-waterbriefing/israel-approves-new-water-quality-standards_23635
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Attili: Israeli settlers draining Palestinian water supply
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Israel allocates 70 times more water to each settler than to the average
Palestinian in the West Bank, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority said Sunday.
At a press conference in Ramallah, Shaddad Attili said Palestinians received 105 million cubic
meters of water, less than the amount allocated in the 1995 Oslo Accords and around a quarter of the
400 million cubic meters needed according to international standards.
Israel controls most of the water resources in the West Bank and refuses to increase the amount of
water it allocates to Palestinians, Attili said, forcing Palestinians to buy water from Israel.
Water is a final status issue in negotiations with Israel and postponing the issue to final talks has
created a water crisis in Gaza and the West Bank, the official said.
The Palestinian Water Authority has had to buy water and is billions of shekels in debt, Attili said.
The Palestinian Authority, in the midst of its own fiscal crisis, has not helped with the debt, he added.
Meanwhile in Gaza, 95 percent of the water is not fit for human consumption, and sea water --
contaminated with sewage -- is leaking into the over-extracted coastal basin, threatening long-term
problems of kidney disease. Within two years there may be no drinking water left in Gaza, Attili said.
―Attili: Israeli settlers draining Palestinian water supply‖, 29/07/2012, online at:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=508418
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90% of Gaza water "unsafe for drinking," says UN
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - After a fact-finding tour of the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip — and
following hearings in Jordan and Egypt — a three-member United Nations committee has lambasted
Israel for the harsh treatment of Palestinian children held in custody.
The Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices in the Occupied Territories has described the
continued denial of fundamental human rights of the Palestinians as totally ―unacceptable.‖
The chairman of the special committee, Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka‘s ambassador to the United
Nations, has specifically blasted Israeli security forces for the rigorous crackdown on children,
mostly accused of hurling rocks at a fully-armed military.
―Children‘s homes are surrounded by Israeli soldiers late at night, sound grenades are fired into the
houses, doors are broken down, live shots are often fired, and no warrant is presented,‖ he said.
Worse still, children are tightly bound, blindfolded and forced into the backs of military vehicles, he
added.
In an interview with Thalif Deen, United Nations bureau chief with the Inter Press Service, Kohona
said the situation in the West Bank and Gaza has not improved in any significant manner since his
last three official visits to the region.
He said witnesses reported that children in detention are often denied family visits, denied access to
legal representation, held in cells with adults, denied access to education, and even at the age of 12
tried in Israeli military courts.
The committee was informed by witnesses that there were 192 children in detention, and 39 were
under the age of 16, said Kohona, a former chief of the UN Treaty Section. He also said Israel‘s
practice of demolishing Palestinian homes continues, and Israeli settler violence against Palestinians
has increased.
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The special committee which was created by the UN General Assembly back in December 1968 also
includes Dato Hussein Haniff, ambassador of Malaysia to the United Nations; and Fod Seck, a
Senegalese diplomat based in Geneva.
Thalif Deen: How best would you describe the harsh treatment of Palestinian children by Israeli
authorities?
Palitha Kohona: The committee took the view that the occupying authorities were not discharging
their international legal obligations towards the people of the occupied territories. For example, the
principal result of Israel‘s blockade of Gaza has been to render 80 percent of Palestinians in Gaza
dependent on international humanitarian aid.
The resilience of Gazans for being able to survive on so little, especially in the face of the inadequate
health care, severe constraints on their normal occupations, frequent power outages, and not
infrequent incidents of violence that mark their daily lives, is admirable. Israel‘s blockade of Gaza is
illegal.
Israel‘s security needs can surely be met adequately without resort to some of these harsh policies.
The blockade, in the view of many, amounts to the collective punishment of 1.6 million Palestinians.
It has had a devastating impact on the lives of people.
Many witnesses asked whether some of these harsh policies were really necessary to maintain
security or were they actually exacerbating feelings of hopelessness.
TD: Since these human rights violations are taking place in occupied territories, do they amount to a
violation of the Geneva Conventions on the treatment of prisoners in conflict situations?
PK: There have been many eminent persons who have taken this view, and the committee agrees
with this assessment.
TD: Has Israel ever permitted the special committee to visit Israel and record its side of the story? If
not, what is the excuse given by Israel for barring the special committee?
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PK: The special committee has not been permitted to visit Israel, the occupied West Bank and
Jerusalem or the occupied Golan. Israel has a policy of not cooperating with the committee.
TD: Since you have visited the region three times as chairman of the special committee, what is your
assessment of the occupied territories?
PK: The situation has not improved in any significant manner. In Gaza, imports remain at less than
50 percent of pre-blockade levels. Eighty-five percent of schools in Gaza work on double shifts.
And Israel‘s near total ban on exports from Gaza stifles economic growth and makes job
opportunities scarce. Between 30 and 40 percent of Gazans are unemployed. Over 1.2 million Gazans
received food aid from the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
And 90 percent of the water in Gaza is unsafe for drinking. Business has ground to a standstill with
little possibility of importing new equipment or exporting products.
Unemployment stands at around 31 percent and the poverty level at 39 percent, according to the
office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
TD: What can the United Nations do to improve the situation of Palestinians in the occupied
territories? Or do you think the UN remains helpless against Israeli intransigence?
PK: UN agencies are playing a major role in keeping the humanitarian situation from deteriorating
further but they have also come under stress due to funding shortfalls caused by the global financial
crisis. They need further funding from donors.
―90% of Gaza water "unsafe for drinking," says UN‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://electronicintifada.net/content/90-
gaza-water-unsafe-drinking-says-un/11544
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Water wars will be the future
It covers 70.9 per cent of the Earth's surface, but only 2 per cent is fresh water, which must be
conserved. Demand for renewable fresh water has already outstripped supply. The critical shortage
affects every function related to human existence: drinking, bathing, cleaning, cooking and growing
crops.
Yet, as populations and faddish hi-tech innovations go out of control, greed continues - polluting,
diverting, pumping and wasting our limited water supply at an expedient level.
The West Bank settler population has mushroomed from 110,000 to 320,000. Of the water available
from West Bank aquifers, Israel uses 73 per cent, West Bank Palestinians use 17 per cent and Jewish
settlers use 10 per cent. While 10-14 per cent of Palestine's GDP is agricultural, 90 per cent of its
farmers must rely on antiquated rain-fed methods. Israel's agriculture accounts for only 3 per cent of
its GPD, but Israel irrigates more than 50 per cent of its own land.
Under international law, it is illegal for Israel to expropriate the water of the Occupied Palestinian
Territories for use by its own citizens, and doubly illegal to expropriate it for increasingly aggressive
settlers. Furthermore, Israel owes Palestinians reparations for past and continuing use and abuse of
water resources. Regarding the Jordan River system, the Palestinians have no access and remain
unconnected to any water infrastructure whatsoever.
The Israeli-Palestinian stalemate has featured diversion tactics to wage a bullyrag war with Iran at the
expense of a negotiated settlement. This, even though the tentatively agreed-upon key components
are in place: mutual recognition, borders, security, control of Jerusalem, occupation, settlements,
Palestinian freedom of movement, the refugee question and water rights.
Palestinians justifiably contend that "water war" politics is just part of the demeaning and humiliating
injustices of occupation. Issues that adversely affect West Bank residents' health, hygiene and rights
should be addressed in an international forum. But, without fair-minded outside intervention, they
undoubtedly won't be.
―Water wars will be the future‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Water-wars-will-bethe-future-30187291.html
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Using water as a weapon in the West Bank
The Civil Administration is protecting a law that its title in contemporary Hebrew is 'keeping most of
the West Bank Palestinian-free.'
Events in Area C are a burning issue for the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories,
Maj. Gen. Eitan Dangot. More correctly, he is infuriated by what he and the Civil Administration
bureaucracy term "Palestinian illegal construction."
What especially sets his blood boiling, at least according to European representatives who have spent
time with him, is that some of this very construction - of facilities like cisterns, solar panels and
school buildings - is being funded by European countries, who see it as a necessary humanitarian
move.
The commander's position is discernible among his subordinates, who go out to the field to carry it
out with enthusiastic obedience.
Gideon Levy has already reported on one Avi, an inspection coordinator for the Civil Administration
who at the height of a heat wave confiscated water containers in the Jordan Valley that were the only
water sources for hundreds of Palestinian and Bedouin families ("Water torture," July 8 ). Why do
they need water containers in the first place? Because it's Israel's perfectly lawful policy to deny
many Palestinian communities access to the water grid.
In the southern West Bank, it's inspector Alon. Two weeks before the High Court of Justice was to
hear a petition against the demolition orders the Civil Administration issued for the shacks in the
Palestinian hamlet of Zanuta, Alon went south to also deliver a demolition order against two wells.
Exactly how fond Dangot's bureaucracy is of using thirst as a tool for law enforcement we can learn
from an affidavit submitted to the High Court. It was written by Raziel Goldstein, who is responsible
for implementation and enforcement in the Civil Administration's inspection unit. The affidavit was
attached to the state's notification to the High Court that Defense Minister Ehud Barak had ordered
the destruction of eight Palestinian villages so the land could be used for military exercises.
Goldstein writes as follows: "According to information available to the inspection unit and the
Central Command, since 2009 it is possible to identify a gradually increasing trend of support and
strengthening of the population in Area C by the Palestinian Authority, with the help of international
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organizations. This support manifests itself in various ways, starting with the supply of resources that
enable staying in the field, such as water containers, sheds and water tanks, through legal help.
"Thus we are able to identify a significant increase in the dimensions of incursions into firing zones,
both in terms of the number of trespassers and the scope of construction that they have carried out.
This phenomenon poses a substantial security risk."
The Shin Bet-type terminology alone reflects the ethical and mental perversion that has inflicted this
system. Not that this is new. Five years ago, when the COGAT was Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad, the
system was full of creative ways to fulfill the government's order to allow only humanitarian traffic
through the Gaza crossings. That's why there were periods in Gaza when you couldn't find toilet
paper or sanitary napkins. That's how the system decided that Gazans could not eat pasta or hummus
with pine nuts, nor could they use shampoo that also contained conditioner. The industrious officerclerks
even drew up a draft setting the minimum calorie intake for every Gazan.
How can such ethical and mental perversion develop, that turn sheds and cisterns into a terror threat
that merits the gathering of intelligence? It's a combination of uniforms, lack of transparency, real
estate gluttony and biblical fads. It's true - they are only obeying orders. But it's also true that they are
the real government that rules over the Palestinians. It's a clique of clerks and officers that by the
power of their weapons imposes itself on a population that never elected them. There's no
transparency or accountability, only a sure promotion through the ranks until they get to manage
some corporation.
Honorable justices, Zanuta is not alone and its "solution" is not to be isolated. From the northern
Jordan Valley to the south Hebron Hills, the Civil Administration is protecting a law that its title in
contemporary Hebrew is "keeping most of the West Bank Palestinian-free." Your honors, this is the
policy you're being asked to ratify, unless you finally gather courage and wave a black flag.
―Using water as a weapon in the West Bank‖, 01/08/2012, online at: http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/using-water-as-aweapon-in-the-west-bank.premium-1.455087#
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Water Crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Continues
Israel gives illegal settlers 70 times more water than Palestinians in the West Bank according to the
head of the Palestinian Water Authority and Ma‘an News.
On Sunday in Ramallah, Shaddad Attili said at a press conference that Palestinians received 105
million cubic metres of water. That is less than the amount required by the 1993 Oslo Accords and
one quarter of the 400 million cubic meters needed to meet international per capita standards.
According to a report by Amnesty International, Palestinian daily water consumption is 70 liters a
day, and in some rural areas as little as 20 liters a day, while Israeli consumption is more than 300
liters a day--four times as much.
Israel is in control of most of the Palestinian water resources in the West Bank and refuses to increase
the amount of water it allocates to Palestinians. This causes constant shortages in much of the West
Bank.
In the Bethlehem area this summer for example, twice Palestinians have had their water supply
completely cut off for two weeks during the summer heat. To try to cope with this, Palestinians who
can afford it have constructed large tanks on their roofs for collecting water on days when Israel turns
it on, but often these tanks or those constructed for collecting rainwater are demolished by Israeli
settlers or the Israeli army. This situation forces Palestinians to buy back their own water from Israel
at inflated prices.
In Gaza the situation is even worse. There between 90 and 95 percent of the water is contaminated
and not fit for human consumption and a health crisis has already begun as a result. Attili surmises
that within 2 years there may be no drinking water left in Gaza and yet Israel does not allow the
transfer of water from the Mountain Aquifer in the West Bank to the people of Gaza.
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There are disputes about the total number of settlers in the West Bank, but what is not in dispute is
the disparity in access to water compared with Palestinians in the occupied territories. (Estimates
range from 300,000-650,000 people depending upon the definition used to describe a settler.)
Regardless of the figure used, illegal Israeli settlers living in the West Bank in violation of
international law have no restrictions on their access to water and use more than the 2.3 million
Palestinians in the West Bank to water their green lawns, lush gardens, and intensive-irrigation farms
and to fill their private swimming pools.
―Water Crisis in the West Bank and Gaza Continues‖, 30/07/2012, online at: http://www.imemc.org/article/63976
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Palestinians struggle for access to water
JERUSALEM: On Sunday, Shaddad Attili, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority, held a press
conference in Ramallah. He said that Israel, in breach of international law, is allocating far less water
to the occupied Palestinian territories than was agreed upon in the 1995 Oslo Accords.
The Palestinians are receiving less than 25 percent of the international standard of 400 billion cubic
meters.
Meanwhile, Israeli settlers, all of whom reside in the West Bank illegally under international law, are
receiving over 70 times more water than Palestinians.
In the Gaza Strip, Attili said, roughly 95 percent of the available water sources are unfit for human
consumption. Additionally, much of the sea water, unable to be treated properly by outside sources
due to Israel‘s naval blockade, is polluted with sewage water that threatens to leak into other water
supplies and further limit supply.
Palestinians have no choice but to purchase water from Israel at elevated prices.
Last fall, Nasser Narwajah, a resident of Susiya village in the South Hebron Hills, told
Bikyamasr.com that his family paid eleven times the price of water per cubic meter in Israel. He
estimates that his sheep, the sole source of income for his family, receive less than 70 percent of the
water they need.
According to the Oslo Accords, water rights were a final status negotiation issue that would be settled
at the time of a final peace agreement.
―If we are going to get control of our lands and resources,‖ said Ghassan, a 23-year-old student from
El-Bireh, ―it‘s not going to be through negotiations. They [Israel] have already proved it plans to
keep what‘s ours for good. We have to put peaceful pressure on them.‖
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―Look on top of our home—there is a small black water tank. We pay too much and only get to fill it
once a week, and sometimes it‘s not enough to last five days in this summer heat,‖ Imm Ghassan, his
mother, told Bikyamasr.com.
―From our house, you can see the Bet El settlement. They have all the water they need,‖ she added,
referring to an immense water tower with an Israeli flag painted on it.
In many West Bank villages, residents of nearby settlements, due to the protection of the Israeli
Defense Forces, have been granted access to village‘s fresh water resources. Once settlers obtain
control over the villagers‘ lands and water supplies, Palestinians are denied access to them.
Until recently, settlers asserted sovereign control over the Al-Kowus Spring in Nabi Saleh. For the
past three years, weekly nonviolent demonstrations were unsuccessful in reaching the spring. The
IDF suppressed all demonstrations—peaceful marches, sit-ins, etc—and over 13 percent of the
village‘s total population has been arrested at one point or another.
In April, however, a group of Palestinian women and international activists reached the spring for the
first time since it was seized by settlers in 2009. They staged a picnic as a nonviolent reclamation of
the territory, and told media outlets that they would return soon.
In June, a mixed coalition of Palestinian and international men, women, and children, returned. It was
the first instance in which a Friday demonstration gained access to the spring.
Despite small successes such as those in Nabi Saleh, it is unlikely that Palestinians will obtain easier
access to water resources anytime soon. US and European efforts to spark negotiations between the
ruling Netanyahu coalition in Israel and the Palestinian authority have been fruitless.
―Palestinians struggle for access to water‖, 30/07/2012, online at: http://www.bikyamasr.com/74125/palestiniansstruggle-for-access-to-water/
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Israel: A superpower of sustainability
Israelis tend to think the United Nations preoccupies itself with classic political issues, but the reality
is different ―We do not rejoice in victories. We rejoice when a new kind of cotton is grown and when
strawberries bloom in Israel‖ – Golda Meir
Israelis tend to think the United Nations preoccupies itself with classic political issues, but the reality
is different. On taking office, Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, declared his priority would be
promoting worldwide sustainable development.
Last month, in Brazil, the Rio+20 Conference met to discuss sustainable development. The
conference attracted over 100 heads of state and 50,000 participants. For Israel the conference was a
considerable success.
―Sustainable development‖ is economic growth in which resource use aims to meet human needs,
while preserving the environment so these needs can be met for generations to come.
Israel‘s success at Rio+20 was not guaranteed. The Syrian government tried to ban two Israeli
environmental organizations from participating – the JNF and Life and Environment (an organization
representing 130 Israeli environmental NGOs). At the very time the Syrian regime is slaughtering its
own people, it has time to launch a diplomatic attack on Israel. A worldwide Israeli diplomatic
campaign ensured that the Syrian ploy failed.
The Palestinians failed to have their status upgraded at the conference to that of a full-state member.
Unfortunately Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki chose to use his speech as a platform to
attack Israel rather than talking about cooperation and the environment.
The Israeli delegation came to Rio+20 with a vision of sustainable development for the world. Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, in his greetings, said that Israel is a country that manages to ―do more
with less,‖ and in the future expects to do even more with much less.
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Israel‘s ability to do more with less and successes in sustainable development have brought
international recognition, causing a number of UN and international figures to describe Israel as a
―sustainability superpower.‖
Dr. Daniel Hillel from Israel was recently awarded the World Food Prize for pioneering an
innovative way of bringing water to crops in arid and dry-land regions. CNN selected Yosef
Abramowitz, founder of the Arava Power Company, as one of six world leading ―green pioneers.‖
In 2008, Time magazine named Shai Agassi, the founder of Better Place, the company responsible
for introducing the electric car, as one of the ―environmental heroes‖ of the year.
In a further sign of international recognition, the head of the Israeli delegation to Rio +20,
Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan, was elected vice chairman of the Conference.
In his meetings with colleagues from around the world, many expressed a desire to increase
partnership with Israel, mainly in water management.
This is hardly surprising: Israel is the world‘s leader in water re-use and recycling. Israel treats and
recycles 80 percent of effluent water for agriculture. There are 35 desalination facilities in Israel. The
Ashkelon desalination plant is the world‘s second largest.
Israel is a world leader in desalination and by 2015, 75% of Israel‘s water supply will come from
water desalination. The UN General Assembly recently adopted an Israeli proposed resolution calling
for international investment in agricultural technology.
Israel is also a world leader in forestry as we implement Ben-Gurion‘s dream of making the desert
bloom – and one of the only countries that had more trees at the end of the 20th century than at the
start.
Thousands of experts flock to Israel every two years to attend WATEC: The Israel Water
Technologies, Renewable Energies and Environmental Control exhibition. This November, Eilat-
Eilot, the largest renewable energy conference of its kind will be held in Eilat.
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Since 1958, MASHAV (Israel‘s agency for international development cooperation at the Foreign
Ministry) has brought to Israel over 270,000 professionals from across the globe to take courses,
learn from experts and see sustainable development in practice. Israeli experts have also been sent to
the developing world to run courses there.
During the Rio+20 conference the Israeli government, for the first time, invested in an international
campaign on CNN branding Israel as a world leader in green technology. The Foreign Ministry
launched a Facebook Page called ―GREEN ISRAEL‖ and an environmental YouTube channel.
Many places around the world suffer severe drought. Millions in Africa face life-threatening hunger.
Israel is willing and able to continue to share its technology and know-how with the world and be a
―light unto the nations‖ of sustainable development.
In the words of the prophet Isaiah: ―I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land
springs of water.‖ (Chapter 41, verse 18) The writer is the coordinator for Sustainable Development
in Israel‘s Foreign Ministry and was a member of the delegation to the Rio+20 Conference.
Previously he was the Minister for Congressional Affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
―Israel: A superpower of sustainability‖, Jerusalem Post, 01/08/2012, online at:
http://mideastenvironment.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=5566
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Israeli Company Wins Gates Foundation Grant for Water-Free Toilet
Israel, JERUSALEM — A fine for uncollected dog feces six years ago prompted the founders of
Israeli company Paulee Cleantec to create a solution that is now being used to develop the world‘s
first water-free toilet.
Paulee Cleantec just signed a deal with the Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation to take technology
designed for dealing with pet waste and adapt it for the purpose of creating a water-free toilet for 2
billion people in the developing world who do not have access to clean water or sanitation.
―They approached us and asked us to give them a proposal,‖ said Paulee Cleantec CEO Oded
Halperin. ―We were immediately approved.‖
Paulee Cleantec is now using $110,000 USD from the foundation to developing plans for a waterfree
toilet prototype, and if it is successful the foundation will grant another $1.5-2 million USD to
make and commercialize it.
Paulee Cleantec‘s concept is a simple one, said Halperin. It adds a common chemical to fecal waste
that turns it into odorless and sterile ash within 30 seconds. That ash can then be used as a fertilizer
for common crops. Each use costs only a few cents.
Liquid waste is collected and sterilized separately, then used to flush the toilet. The toilet will power
itself using internally generated heat, with a small solar panel installed on each unit as a backup.
A water-free toilet would essentially eradicate the flow of untreated waste into waterways, potentially
preventing many deaths from water-borne disease in the third world.
Paulee Cleantec has patented the concept in the United States and Europe.
Halperin said the company had not considered the full potential of its technology, developed by
Hebrew University professor and Paulee Cleantec co-founder Oded Shoseyov, but the Gates
Foundation‘s approach ―opened his eyes‖.
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―There are many added values, and they (the foundation) are not against commercializing, but once
we start to commercialize it we have to agree to make less profit,‖
―Israeli Company Wins Gates Foundation Grant for Water-Free Toilet‖, 02/08/2012,online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/israeli-company-wins-gates-foundation-grant-water-free-toilet_23699
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Gaza Residents' Health Suffers from Water Pollution
GAZA CITY (Press TV) — Water pollution levels in the Gaza Strip have reached alarming levels
after years of a suffocating Israeli blockade. According to the United Nations at least 90 percent of
the coastal enclave‘s water supplies are unsafe to drink. Health officials in Gaza say infants and
children are the worst hit by water pollution, where acute cases of diarrhea among other intestinal
ailments are widespread among Gazan children. Ministry of health spokesman Ashraf Al-Qedra told
PRESS TV that Palestinians in Gaza are being subjected to Israeli collective punishment. Nitrate and
chloride levels in the Gaza Strip water are one of the highest in the world and have continued to rise.
They pose serious health risks throughout the blockaded territory. High quantities of nitrates and
chloride in drinking water can have significant health repercussions especially on infants and
children.
―Gaza Residents' Health Suffers from Water Pollution‖, 03/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-waterbriefing/gaza-residents-health-suffers-water-pollution_23712
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Security forces to protect water resources from vandalism, theft
AMMAN — Security forces will soon implement a campaign to protect the Kingdom‘s water
resources from recurring vandalism, violations and theft, officials said on Thursday.
The campaign will target areas categorised as ―hotspots‖, where theft of water and equipment recur,
such as south Amman, the Jordan Valley, Mafraq and Zarqa, Ministry of Water and Irrigation
Spokesperson Omar Salameh said.
―We are providing the Public Security Department (PSD) with a list of locations that require
protection, either because of their importance or because they witness recurring theft and vandalism,‖
Salameh told The Jordan Times.
He underscored that violations involving wells and the network, whether by stealing water or
equipment, is depriving people of their water share and magnifying the water crisis in the country.
―Scores of water resources from which around 1,870 cubic metres of water were pumped per hour
remain shut down because of violations and theft,‖ Salameh added.
PSD Spokesperson Lt. Col. Mohammad Khatib noted that the department will also receive the names
of suspected violators from the ministry.
―We will provide the police directorates in the Kingdom‘s three regions with the list of locations that
need protection and the names of suspected violators… the PSD will also coordinate with district
governors to end violations,‖ Khatib told The Jordan Times.
He added that the campaign comes following a meeting last week between officials from the Ministry
of Water and Irrigation, the Ministry of Interior and the PSD to address the rising number of
violations on water resources and pipelines.
Authorities declined to comment on when the campaign would start due to ―security reasons‖.
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Minister of Water and Irrigation Mohammad Najjar said last month that theft and vandalism of water
resources were rising alarmingly and becoming the main obstacles to supplying the public with
sufficient water.
A total of 28 violations on the Kingdom‘s main water networks were recorded by mid-May this year,
according to the ministry‘s figures, which also indicated that 52 violations were registered in 2010
and 50 last year.
In statements to the press, Najjar said that fixing violations to the networks and water resources this
year has cost the ministry JD105,300, while pumping from 50 resources remains suspended because
additional funds of around JD300,000 are required to fix them.
If violations continue, he warned, more water will be lost, while the ministry will lose between
JD700,000 and JD800,000.
Salameh noted that a media campaign will be conducted in tandem with the security campaign to
raise public awareness about the impact of water violations on individuals.
―Security forces to protect water resources from vandalism, theft‖, Jordan Times,03/08/2012, online at:
http://mideastenvironment.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=5583
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Settlers yearn for ‘environment without borders’ – and without Palestinians
A conference was held in Ariel this week to discuss the West Bank‘s environment. No Palestinians
attended.
In the last two years, Jewish settlers in the West Bank have made a concerted PR effort to showcase
their commitment to the environment. At the heart of this campaign, headed by NGOs and regional
councils operating on the other side of the Green Line, is the call to separate politics from the
environment. According to the settlers, it is important to create Palestinian-Israeli cooperation in
order to tackle problems hurting both sides.
Environmental organizations and Palestinians reject this approach, as demonstrated by a conference
held this week in Ariel under the auspices of the municipality and the NGO Green Now operating in
the West Bank. The conference was entitled ―Environment Without Borders‖ but not a single
Palestinian attended; similarly, a representative of Friends of the Earth Middle East declined an
invitation to come. They are convinced that participation in the conference would mean a
legitimization of the settlements. But Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan did attend, and
he accused the Palestinians of preferring to hurt their citizens, who are suffering from environmental
pollution, rather than working with Israel to solve the problems.
What is not in dispute is the fact that the environmental situation on the other side of the Green Line
is indeed grim, as reflected by the comprehensive report on the environment in Judea and Samaria
prepared for the conference. The report, written by Israeli entities operating east of the Green Line,
provides a great deal of information on the problems in the area. The report‘s main conclusion is that
Israeli settlement activity (130 settlements, not including illegal outposts) has less of an
environmental impact on the Palestinian Authority than the PA has on the environment in general,
and on Israeli settlements in particular.
This conclusion is based primarily on how solid waste and wastewater are treated. The settlements
enjoy the orderly treatment (to various degrees of purity ) of more than 80 percent of its wastewater,
whereas the overwhelming majority of Palestinian wastewater undergoes no treatment whatsoever
and continues to flow largely into Israeli territory. According to the report‘s authors, attempts to
establish joint wastewater treatment projects, such as in western Samaria, were foiled by the
Page 35

Palestinians for political reasons. While solid waste in the settlements is moved to regulated landfills,
the Palestinians operate many dozens of pirate solid waste disposal facilities. In addition, Israeli-
Palestinian cooperation of a certain kind exacerbates the situation: Israelis smuggle construction
debris for disposal on the other side of the Green Line.
―The laws aren‘t sufficiently enforced by the Civil Administration or the Environmental Protection
Ministry,‖ says the report. ―It is not uncommon for Israelis to hire Palestinians to dispose of solid or
construction waste on public land.‖
Is Palestinian unwillingness to cooperate with Israel for political reasons the only, or even major,
explanation for the grim situation on the other side of the Green Line? An in-depth study of the report
shows that even its own authors realize that there are additional factors explaining the Palestinians‘
inability to tackle waste disposal and wastewater treatment.
One of the writers, Dr. Nitzan Levy, director of the Municipal Environmental Associations of Judea
and Samaria, notes that there is a significant difference between the organizational and professional
capabilities of the Palestinians and those of Israel. He stresses the fact that the Environmental
Protection Ministry hasn‘t formulated a problem-solving strategy that takes into account the gap in
the sides‘ capabilities. In another part of the report, its authors admit that limitations on movement
and access had made it difficult to build environmental infrastructures on the Palestinian side.
What the report fails to note is the fact that the very establishment of the settlements was a political
act almost completely disconnected from environmental concerns or long-term planning. The
settlements were built in order to grab land for Jews by establishing many dozens of residential
points and small outposts, requiring the extensive – and expensive – dispersion of infrastructures and
roads.
There were cases, also mentioned in the report, in which ―The cost of the race to put facts on the
ground by Israeli settlement activity was paid by nature. Some of the construction and expansions in
the settlement program encroached on nature reserves.‖
The outcome was that for many years the settlements did not have appropriate solutions to
wastewater and solid waste. Some of the problems have been solved in recent years only thanks to
Page 36

the more numerous organizational and professional resources available to Israel. A prominent
example is the settlement of Ofra, built and eventually expanded long before it had a reasonable
wastewater treatment solution. Currently, the state is trying to authorize a wastewater treatment
facility built recently without permits on private Palestinian land.
Unfortunately, the immediate future doesn‘t hold good environmental news for Judea and Samaria. In
light of the expected population growth on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, the pressure on
environmental infrastructures is expected to grow greatly. And the lasting nature of the conflict
doesn‘t leave a lot of hope for cooperation any time soon. It seems that, aside from some local
examples of cooperation, each side will continue to go its own way. The Israelis, who can afford to
do so, will continue to collect solid waste and treat wastewater, while the Palestinians have limited
means, coming primarily from the deep pockets of donor nations that may help in maintaining basic
infrastructures to handle environmental hazards.
―Settlers yearn for ‗environment without borders‘ – and without Palestinians‖, Haaretz, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://mideastenvironment.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=5593
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Page 37

Green Cities
District S is a neighborhood development project located in Beirut, Lebanon, that employs green
planning and design principles in architecture, materials, mobility, and energy and water
consumption. The development of the neighborhood adopts the premise that environmentally
sustainable communities will offer residents and visitors a better quality of life and health. District S
qualifies Lebanon as the fifth country worldwide to apply the Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certification system to neighborhood development (ND), endorsing
green living on a lifecycle basis. District S will be the first sustainable neighborhood in Lebanon, the
Arab world, and the Mediterranean basin, according to LEED-ND.
District S integrates the principles of new urbanism, green building, and smart growth. It is carefully
sited to be in close proximity to basic community services such as schools, convenience stores, places
of worship, recreational facilities, and public transportation. These destinations are reachable by foot
or bike, hence reducing the carbon footprint of transportation. The neighborhood infrastructure will
be green. Street lighting will use energy efficient fixtures, the sewage system will use recycled
content, inner roads will be shaded with trees, and a portion of rain water will be harvested.
Pedestrian areas will be lined by trees, bushes, and greenery, allowing residents and visitors to walk
or ride their bikes to the café, gym, school, or community center. Biking racks will be available for
residents, visitors, employees, and shoppers. Hybrid and all-electric cars will have preferred parking
spots. All roofs will be green. In summary, District S will exemplify green city development in
Beirut.
The developers of District S are collaborating closely with their sustainability consultants to integrate
environmentally friendly components in all phases of the project. All buildings will have green roofs
that will decrease the heat island effect caused by the absorption and retention of heat by city
building roofs and asphalt. Wood used in construction will be sustainably harvested. Most building
materials will have recycled content. Highly efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning
systems (HVAC), proper insulation, and building orientation will cut energy usage by around 30%
compared with a similar, conventionally-developed neighborhood. Air conditioners will use
environmentally friendly gases. Sophisticated air filters and paints with low volatile organic
compounds (VOCs) will ensure improved indoor air quality for building occupants. Daylight views
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are integrated into building design to maximize productivity and reduce the use of artificial lighting.
State-of-the-art water conserving fittings and fixtures will decrease water consumption by around
40%. The introduction of waste segregation at source will divert approximately 70% of generated
waste from landfills.
District S cannot fight climate change alone, but it can contribute to protecting Beirut‘s heritage and
environment, hoping that many others will follow and undertake similar initiatives to preserve the
environment (or what‘s left of it.)
Nader Al-Nakib, is Co-founder, G Lebanon.
http://www.mectat.com.lb/metopics/District%20S/DistrictS.htm
As some Israeli cities show, all that glitters is not green – Haaretz
Some green cities make it on to the good list because of their parks, but their residents‘ high standard
of living means they consume a great deal of resources.
By Zafrir Rinat | Aug.03, 2012
Europe did it this summer, and so did Israel.
But just because cities are regularly ranked based on how environmentally friendly they are, that
doesn‘t mean the chosen cities are always quite as green as they may seem.
Environmental experts say that while some of these cities make it on to the good list because of their
parks and public transportation, their residents‘ high standard of living means they continue to exploit
and consume a great deal of resources and create a lot of waste.
The top three picks in a June ranking of sustainable cities in Israel were Tel Aviv, Kfar Sava and
Jerusalem.
The rankings are based on 10 standards, including fostering open spaces, reducing waste and having
environmentally friendly and accessible transportation. The index was compiled by the Heschel
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Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership and Life and Environment, an umbrella group
representing more than 100 Israeli environmental groups.
But while Tel Aviv led the list thanks to its parks and bike lanes, the city does not do well on
recycling. Kfar Sava earned points for its recycling as well as its support for energy-efficient
buildings, but its residents say the city is not keeping them informed about environmental issues and
has not protected its old-growth trees.
And though Jerusalem is building more parks, has a light-rail system and is planning to implement
ambitious proposals to reduce air pollution, in recent years the capital has been moving most of its
garbage to an old, polluting landfill in Abu Dis. In addition, the environmental group Tzalul has
ranked Jerusalem the second-worst city when it comes to damaging water sources, saying its
continued channeling of untreated waste into the Kidron Valley is damaging the unique desert
landscapes east of the city.
In Oregon, the city considered one of America‘s greenest is Portland, 8 percent of whose energy
comes from renewable sources. But in a recent article in the scientific journal PLOS Biology, a group
of experts wrote that while Portland is indeed a pleasant place to live, with its parks, bike routes,
organic markets and recycling, the city is utterly dependent on nature‘s resources.
―Each year the Portland metropolitan area consumes at least 1.25 billion liters of gasoline, 28.8
billion megajoules of natural gas, 31.1 billion megajoules of electricity, 136 billion liters of water,
and 0.5 million tons of food, and the city releases 8.5 million tons of carbon as CO2, 99 billion liters
of liquid sewage, and 1 million tons of solid waste into the environment,‖ the article states. ―Total
domestic and international trade amounts to 24 million tonnes of materials annually. With respect to
these flows, Portland is not conspicuously green.‖
European environmental agencies also note the broader implications of urban lifestyles. According to
some estimates, the ecological footprint of London, for example, affects an area 300 times as large as
the city itself.
Some of the world‘s cities are trying to take a different direction and go for reduced consumption.
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One of these is Frankfurt, which has reduced the overall amount of garbage its residents generate and
has prohibited the use of wood coming from tropical species of trees.
Copenhagen, the recently announced winner of the competition for European Green Capital of 2014,
is also heading in that direction by recycling 90 percent of its construction materials, thus reducing its
dependence on newly produced materials that take more resources from nature.
In addition, Copenhagen incinerates most of its trash and the energy produced in that process is used
to heat homes. The city has also begun using home water-use gauges (also in use in Israel ) that have
led to a water-use decline of 25 percent.
The Danish capital beat out the German and British entries, Frankfurt and Bristol, largely because of
the significant rise of bicyclists in Copenhagen as a result of urban planning decisions intended to
reach that goal.
One-third of the city‘s 2 million residents now bike to work or school, and Copenhagen plans to raise
that proportion to a full half the population within four years. The city has also built several new
parks as part of its goal to have every resident living within a 15-minute walk of a park or beach.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/as-some-israeli-cities-show-all-that-glitters-is-not-green-
1.455663
ARZ Green Building Rating System – Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia
Samir Traboulsi
The ARZ Building Rating System is the first Lebanese green building initiative of international
standard with its certification process being administered by the Lebanon Green Building Council
(LGBC). It has been established to support the growth and adoption of sustainable building practices
in Lebanon, with a specific focus on the environmental assessment and rating system for commercial
buildings. For each credit, the ARZ Green Building Rating System identifies the detailed intent,
requirement, technologies or strategies to achieve the credit.
Unlike other international rating systems, the ARZ Green Building Rating System was developed by
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Lebanese expertise of LGBC in partnership with the International Finance Corporation, (IFC), a
member of the World Bank group.
The dramatic continuous electricity shortages, energy prices, and unavailability of other resources
like water, prompted the development of the ARZ Building Rating System. Its aim is to maximize the
operational efficiency and minimize environmental impacts. It is a certification on the existing
building operational performance. Property owners and managers will drive their operational cost
down while increasing occupant productivity in an environmentally friendly manner.
Just before the launching of the Rating tool event in June 2011, the Lebanon Green Building Council
provided an extensive number of training hours, and candidates who completed the credentials were
certified. Assessors are experienced building industry practitioners who have demonstrated their
knowledge of the ARZ rating system certification process.
The Order of Engineers in Beirut was the first registrant requesting the ARZ BRS assessment of its
headquarters. Two other reputable building owners are now processing and preparing for the delivery
of the documentation requirements to initiate the assessment task. Building owners are convinced
that certified and rated buildings will attract higher occupancy rates, higher rents, and an increase in
buildings‘ values. Using this tool enables building teams to focus on sustainability, gives them
options when considering capital improvements or implementation of best practices, and allows them
to benchmark and rate the benefits of various building attributes and procedures.
The rating process will provide an automatically generated report that can help to evaluate
opportunities to benefit from energy savings, reduced environmental impacts, integrated corporate
goals and practices, and lower costs for maintenance.
Certified assessors are asked to sign the ARZ BRS Code of Ethics and are requested to adhere to its
contents with no allowance for any conflict of interest, whether apparent or not. Owners on the other
hand are entitled to file an appeal if certain credits are denied, and ARZ BRS will be responsible to
resolve such claims within a defined period.
A board of Trustees formed from key stakeholders in the Building industry in Lebanon will monitor
and supervise the operation and performance of the ARZ BRS unit.
Benefits expected from the certifications range from getting solid data that supports the productivity
assertions, energy cost and environmental footprint, and to establish baseline data on present energy
and water consumption in all buildings in Lebanon. Owners will have open windows for exploring
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low interest financing and for exploring grants funding and accessing available incentives as
provided by the Lebanese banks.
―Green Cities‖, Nader Al-Nakib, Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia /Haaretz, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://mideastenvironment.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=5585
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Page 43

Consolidating an occupation
Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the occupation authorities spent 1.1 billion shekels ($249
billion at the current exchange rate) on settlement building during 2011, reflecting a 38 per cent
increase from the figure for 2010 and a two-decade high. Such spending was last seen in 1993 after
Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization signed the Oslo agreements. Israel then spent 2.5
billion shekels on settlements.
In July, the Associated Press reported a dramatic rise — 18 per cent — of the settler population under
the premiership of Benjamin Netanyahu. The number of Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank
has tripled since 1993 to nearly 651,000 by the end of 2011. The figure excludes the 200,000 Jews
living in occupied Arab East Jerusalem.
The U.N. says 3,437 Palestinians were displaced and otherwise affected by Israeli demolitions in the
West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem.
The Israeli spending is in line with its stated goal of retaining the settlements to itself in case of any
peace agreement with the Palestinians. Not that there is any prospect of peace negotiations resuming
between them.
The mainstream Palestinian leadership, as represented by the Palestinian Authority, has accepted that
it will have to accommodate Israel‘s demand to retain settlements. What is irking it is the deceptive
Israeli statement that it wants to enter genuine negotiations and is ready for a solution, but that the
Palestinians are blocking the way by their demand for a freeze in settlement building.
Israel stands in violation of all international rules and conventions that prohibit an occupying force to
transfer by force the civilian population and forbids it from allowing its population to settle in the
occupied territory.
The Palestinians are facing a new problem as well. Armed settlers have taken over a large number of
the water springs in the West Bank, restricting the Palestinians‘ access to them, and are said to be
planning to take over dozens more of such sites.
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The United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that settlers
developed 40 springs as tourist sites, deployed picnic tables and benches and given them Hebrew
names. They are generating employment and revenue for the settlements and promote or advertise
settlements as a fun place. The Palestinians are kept away from such sites by armed settlers.
Palestinians have limited access to 46 other springs where settlers moved in and threatened to take
control. All the springs are located in an area — 60 per cent of the West Bank — designated as ―C‖
under the Oslo Agreements, which remains under Israeli military control.
―Despite the decline in their yield, springs have remained the single largest water source for irrigation
and a significant source for watering livestock,‖ the U.N. report said, adding that some also provided
water for domestic consumption in areas not connected to pipelines.
―The loss of access to springs and adjacent land reduced the income of affected farmers, who either
stop cultivating the land or face a reduction in the productivity of their crops,‖ the report said.
―The main methods used by settlers to that end have been intimidation and threats, and the erection
of fences around the targeted areas,‖ it added.
―This phenomenon comes in the context of Israel‘s longstanding policy of settling its civilian
population in the occupied Palestinian territory, in violation of international humanitarian law.‖
Israel is also playing up a ―problem‖ facing the government after the country‘s supreme court
rejected its request for a postponement of the dismantling of a large West Bank settler enclave,
Migron, until late 2015.
It is a hyped-up issue that offers Netanyahu another opportunity to tell the world about the
―difficulties‖ facing world Jews seeking to live in peace and safety.
The figures on settlement spending during 2011 were revealed in a report produced by Israel‘s
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Central Bureau of Statistics for the U.S. administration, to enable it to deduct the annual settlement
expenditure from U.S. loan guarantees to Israel. In 2003, Israel stopped granting tax breaks to
citizens seeking to move to the West Bank and pledged to the U.S. that it was calling off such
benefits.
However, the government continues to offer free education and health services to settlers, including
those who live in the so-called illegal outposts — enclaves built without state permission — and has
also connected them to the electricity and water services.
The Israeli actions clearly establish that the state is seeking only to consolidate its occupation of the
Palestinian territories, instead of ending it.
The Palestinians should not be expected to accept the Israeli actions and succumb to pressure to
restart negotiations. If anyone is serious about peace in Palestine, he or she should start by exerting
pressure on Israel to accept international law as the basis for a solution. That is not happening and is
unlikely to happen. And Israel is using the vacuum to perpetuate its occupation of the Palestinian
territories.
―Consolidating an occupation‖, 05/08/2012, online at: http://english.alarabiya.net/views/2012/08/05/230447.html
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Solving the Water Crisis in Palestine
Perhaps the first thing one notices upon arrival in Israel/Palestine is the distinct difference between
the Arab and Jewish homes. Every Palestinian home in the West Bank or Gaza, and many in Israel,
has visible water tanks on the roof. Juxtaposed against these water tanks are Jewish homes where
such tanks are absent (both Palestinians and Israelis often have hot water tanks on their roofs to save
energy by using sunlight to heat potable water).
Many tourists are told that the tanks are part of ‗Arab culture‘, but the truth is more nefarious. The
Palestinian people do not have access to water.
More than 90 percent of the West Bank and Gaza cannot count on having reliable running water.
This may not seem surprising for a semi-arid climate like the Levant where one could assume that
water resources are hard to come by. The truth is that water is plentiful in the West Bank, and in
Gaza, but the most reliable resources have all been confiscated by Israel for their own use.
Palestinian water is pumped to Israel to provide for irrigation, industrial, commercial, and residential
use. What is left is then sold back to Palestine at a higher cost than is paid by Israelis. Palestinians
receive no profit from this exchange.
On Thursday President Abbas noted that his administration is going to begin working to solve the
water crisis, reports Ma‘an News. The fact that President Abbas has recognized the water issue is
important. Unfortunately, solutions are not possible when Israel refuses to negotiate.
Palestinians needs access to their own water resources. They need a more equitable distribution of
water resources between Israel and Palestine. Abbas spoke of the promise of desalinization in Gaza.
The reason Gaza requires desalinization is that Israel has locked it away from other natural sources of
fresh water.
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The Palestinian Authority does not need international donors to provide desalinization plants. It does
not need to have water pumped in from neighboring Jordan or Syria. It needs to have proper access to
its own water resources, resources that have been illegally confiscated and exploited for Israel.
―Solving the Water Crisis in Palestine‖, 02/08/2012, online at: http://www.imemc.org/article/64002
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Palestine must solve water crisis, Abbas says
HEBRON (Ma'an) -- Palestine is facing a water crisis which must be addressed, President Abbas said
Wednesday while touring Hebron.
Water shortages are a problem affecting the daily lives of Palestinians, Abbas said while visiting
Hebron, Ma'an's correspondent said.
"I've heard about the water issue a lot, Hebron is suffering, in particular the farmers and livestock.
We must think about how to solve this constant crisis and to find solutions," Abbas said.
"A water crisis concerns us and we're thinking of solutions. In Gaza there is the Water desalination
project in cooperation with Mediterranean countries who helped us because the water was
contaminated, that's why we're thinking of solutions for the water issue in the West Bank," he added.
Addressing a group of executive board members, Abbas praised Hebron's industrial spirit, noting that
its more than 3,000 factories help stimulate other sectors of the economy. He also announced a series
of loans worth $60 million to be invested in industry across Palestine.
"We are firm on our land and rooted, and will not leave to be replaced by a stranger to our land," he
added.
―Palestine must solve water crisis, Abbas says‖, 02/08/2012, online at:
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=509296
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Water pollution putts Gazans' health in danger
Water pollution levels in the Gaza Strip have reached alarming levels after years of a suffocating
Israeli blockade. According to the United Nations at least 90 percent of the coastal enclave‘s water
supplies are unsafe to drink.
Health officials in Gaza say infants and children are the worst hit by water pollution, where acute
cases of diarrhea among other intestinal ailments are widespread among Gazan children.
Ministry of health spokesman Ashraf Al-Qedra told PRESS TV that Palestinians in Gaza are being
subjected to Israeli collective punishment.
Nitrate and chloride levels in the Gaza Strip water are one of the highest in the world and have
continued to rise. They pose serious health risks throughout the blockaded territory. High quantities
of nitrates and chloride in drinking water can have significant health repercussions especially on
infants and children.
During the war on Gaza at the turn of 2009 Israeli forces targeted sewage treatment plants which
caused raw sewage to seep into the aquifer and contaminate it. Israel also prevents desalination and
water treatment equipment from reaching Gaza allegedly for security reasons. Water experts put the
pollution figures higher than those published by the United Nations.
The consumption of contaminated water at levels over international safety standards, leads to an
accumulation of harmful chemicals in the body that can cause potentially life-threatening diseases.
Health officials say that years of Israeli infringements on Palestinian water rights led to the
deteriorating health of Gazan children.
―Water pollution putts Gazans' health in danger ‖, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://presstv.com/detail/2012/08/03/254145/water-pollution-gazan-health/
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Egypt PM Creates New Utility, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministries
CAIRO, Egypt — Egypt‘s new prime minister, Hisham Qandil, on August 2 announced creation of a
new ministry of utilities, drinking water and sanitation.
Qandil hand-picked Abdel-Qawi Khalifa to lead the new ministry. Khalifa will put in place a national
strategy for drinking water and sewerage.
In his first appearance, Khalifa said: ―We will establish a target of connecting sanitation networks to
all corners of Egypt‘s rural areas.‖
―We will work on increasing water resources in coastal areas by connecting Nile water to remote
governorates,‖ he added.
The goal of creating a new ministry for water and wastewater facilities is to bring together all
organizations involved in these areas.
In the past, water issues have frequently been mishandled by the ministries of irrigation, agriculture,
and housing and urban development.
Sanitation coverage also lags behind, with only 60 percent of the population having access to sanitary
sewer facilities.
The new ministry will handle the difficult task of developing a strategy of connecting rural areas to
sewer systems.
The government estimates that it will take some $13 billion USD to reach a full sanitation coverage
throughout the country.
Although about 98 percent of the country‘s population has access to drinking water, the country is
suffering from increasing water pollution due to dumping of untreated industrial and agricultural
wastewater into the Nile and other waterways.
Per capita share of water has dropped to around 600 cubic meters per year.
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Qandil, who previously served as minister of irrigation and water resources, has also handpicked
Mohamed Bahaaeddine Saad for the ministry of irrigation and water resources.
Saad will be charged with implementing the national water and irrigation strategy as his first priority.
The $24 billion USD plan aims to improve water resources management and water security through
2017.
Qandil‘s appointment to head up the government, and the establishment of the two new ministries
demonstrates Egypt‘s increasing awareness of the magnitude of the water problems the country faces.
Egypt has been involved in an ongoing dispute with other Nile Basin countries over its historical
rights to Nile water -- around 55.5 billion cubic meters a year. Six out of the 10 Nile Basin countries
unilaterally signed a legal framework agreement for water-sharing in Entebbe, Uganda in 2010;
Egypt and Sudan oppose the framework.
The government hopes Qandil, who has been involved in negotiations with upstream Nile countries
over the past few years, will be in a better position to deal with the issue in his new capacity as prime
minister.
Qandil already arranged newly elected Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi‘s first visit to Ethiopia
last week. It was the first visit to the upstream Nile Basin country by an Egyptian president since
1995.
Sources said that the former water minister‘s expertise with Nile issues played a big part in his being
selected to head the government.
Qandil was part of the Nile Basin Initiative, launched in 1999 so member states could develop the
river in a cooperative manner.
―Egypt PM Creates New Utility, Drinking Water and Sanitation Ministries‖, 03/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/egypt-pm-creates-new-utility-drinking-water-and-sanitation-ministries_23702
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Nile Basin Countries Concerned by Israel-South Sudan Water Agreement
Israel, JERUSALEM — The pact signed last week between Israel and South Sudan to cooperate on
water infrastructure and technology development has some Nile Basin countries concerned about
their water security.
The agreement, signed in Jerusalem by Israel Military Industries Ltd. and the government of South
Sudan, offers Israel‘s assistance to the new state on projects such as desalination, irrigation, water
transport and water purification, according to Israel‘s Energy and Water Ministry.
About 45 percent of the Nile Basin‘s water is in South Sudan‘s territory, with 28 percent of the
river‘s water flowing through it downstream to Sudan and Egypt. A large part of that is essentially
untapped, as more than half of the Nile‘s water is reportedly lost to evaporation and transpiration in
the swamps of the Sudd region of South Sudan.
The agreement comes against the backdrop of tensions over water issues between Egypt and Sudan,
which take the lion‘s share of the Nile‘s waters, and other Nile Basin countries including Ethiopia,
the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Eritrea, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. A 1959
pact allocated an annual 55.5 billion cubic meters of Nile water to Egypt and 18.5 billion cubic
meters to Sudan.
Dr. Irit Back of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle East and Africa Studies at Tel Aviv University
said the agreement reflected Israel‘s long-term foreign policy of establishing diplomatic ties with
African countries.
Israel‘s water technology could assist South Sudan to grow from subsistence farming to a more
developed economy, and a strong South Sudan, as an Israeli ally, would place a check on Sudan and
Egypt, particularly where water security is concerned.
While no official projects have been announced, the offer of desalination technology has raised
questions since South Sudan is land-locked.
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Back said there had been consultation on an oil pipeline for South Sudan to cross Kenya and Uganda
in the future, bypassing Sudan, which reportedly charges $36 USD for every barrel of South
Sudanese oil that passes through its territory.
She speculated that desalination technology offered by Israel could send a supply of desalinated
water back the same way.
―Nile Basin Countries Concerned by Israel-South Sudan Water Agreement ―, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/nile-basin-countries-concerned-israel-south-sudan-wateragreement_23700
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Eritrean Government Spends $7 Million USD to Improve Tesenei Water Supply
TESENEI (Shabait.com ) — Reports indicated that potable water supply in Tesenei city has been
upgraded at government expenditure of $7.6 million USD. It further indicated that the project
includes extension of water pipes to households and a number of distribution stations. Osman Hasen,
head of water development in Tesenei sub-zone, pointed out that water pipes have been distributed to
a total of 253 residential households, 150 institutions and 64 water distribution stations in
collaboration with Segen Construction Company, and that the city is enjoying ample potable water
supply. Pointing out that Tesenei city possesses sufficient underground water resource as it is situated
along Gash River, Teklebirhan Gebrewold, Administrator of Tesenei sub-zone, said that the
achievement would significantly have an impact in facilitating the city's development.
―Eritrean Government Spends $7 Million USD to Improve Tesenei Water Supply‖, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/eritrean-government-spends-7-million-usd-improve-tesenei-watersupply_23711
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Millions Without Power in North India, Water May Be Next
Tens of millions of people in North India were without power and early morning commutes in Delhi
were thrown into chaos Monday after a massive electrical grid failure. Water supplies may be
seriously disrupted this evening, because of the power problems, officials said.
―We are presently busy at restoring the grid,‖ said S.K. Soonee, chief executive of Power System
Operation, part of state-run Power Grid, which manages the transmission grids in the country. He
said it‘s difficult to say what caused the outage. ―Things should be looking up soon,‖ he said, but
added he didn‘t want to give a specific time frame.
Power was out in the entire state of Rajasthan, population 67 million, for several hours Monday
morning after the grid failure, which happened around 2:30 a.m. Other states affected included Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. An estimated 360 million people were affected by
the outage.
Raminder Pal Singh/European Pressphoto AgencyA stranded passenger waited near a halted train at
the railway station in Amritsar, India, on Monday.
A water shortage could be next. Delhi residents are likely to have some water problems this evening,
Sanjam Cheema, a spokeswoman for the Delhi Jal Board, said Monday. The water treatment process
requires power, she said, and Delhi Water Board‘s seven water treatment plants don‘t have a backup
power system, because they require ―hundreds of megawatts‖ to operate.
Some of the board‘s underground reservoirs were also affected because of disturbances in the local
area distribution grid. ―There‘s little one can do,‖ she said. Because water treatment plants ―work 24
hours, even slight disruptions can affect them,‖ she said. The water board can‘t predict how severe
water problems will be, but is trying to keep water tankers on hand, she said.
Power was out in many parts of India‘s capital city early Monday morning, and the Delhi Metro,
which carries almost 2 million passengers a day, was completely down for several hours. Delhi Metro
officials said that by 8:30 a.m. services were at 50 percent of capacity, and they were running
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completely by 9:00 a.m. Services from Noida, an East Delhi suburb, were running slowly and cars
were crowded, commuters said.
Power supplies in Delhi were bolstered by hydropower from several sources, including a project in
Tala, Bhutan.
On Saturday, in an unrelated incident, a cat leapt into a Delhi grid station and was electrocuted,
causing a fire that left parts of East Delhi without power for 24 hours. ―The cat must have been wet,‖
a spokesperson for electric company BSES told The Hindu.
―Millions Without Power in North India, Water May Be Next‖, 30/07/2012, online at:
http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/grid-failure-leaves-millions-without-power-in-north-
india/?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=d2ec3fa36c-
RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Page 57

Monsoon, or later
A looming drought is manageable. Long-term changes to the monsoon might be
THE dizzying midday heat of India‘s northern plains cracks the earth. Farmers slump on the
charpoys on which they sleep outdoors. It should be raining, yet the sky is clear. Prithi Singh, lean
and wrinkled, says his entire rice crop has withered, along with fields sown for fodder.
After two summers of erratic and delayed monsoons, this year the rains simply failed. Mr Singh
cannot afford to pay for a borehole, generator and diesel to reach ever-diminishing groundwater.
Farmers always grumble. But Mr Singh has lost half of his annual income of 50,000 rupees ($890)
and now depends upon his crop of winter wheat. Another farmer nearby fears he must sell his land to
pay accumulated debts to moneylenders.
The monsoon months, June to September, bring three-quarters of India‘s annual rainfall. Official
studies show it to be erratic in four out of every ten years. Yet farmers rarely get any useful warning
of shortfalls. As recently as late June, India‘s meteorologists were predicting a normal monsoon.
Punjab and Haryana, two north-western agricultural states, now say rains are about 70% below
average. Six western states have issued drought warnings. The government in Delhi says it may soon
offer emergency help.
The country remains predominantly rural: over 600m out of 1.24 billion Indians rely directly on
farming. Nearly two-thirds of Indian fields are fed only by rain. A one-off drought is tolerable. Rural
job-creation schemes have lifted incomes for the poorest. Food prices have only started to creep up.
Granaries are overflowing, thanks to recent bumper crops.
What is disturbing, though, are tentative signs of long-term change to the summer rains. A less stable
monsoon pattern would be harder to predict. It would arrive late more often, yield less water, become
more sporadic, or dump rain in shorter, more destructive bursts (which happened two years ago in
Pakistan, where the Indus basin disastrously flooded). The concerns of experts about the monsoon
long predate today‘s dry spell.
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Too little is known about summer weather systems on the subcontinent. India is short of observation
stations, weather planes, satellites, climate scientists and modellers. The government and foreign
donors are scrambling to make amends. But even with better data, monsoons are ill-understood once
they leave the sea or low-lying land. At altitude, notably, for instance, approaching the Himalayas, it
is far trickier to grasp just how factors such as wind direction, air pressure, latent heating and
moisture levels interact to deliver monsoon rains.
One trend looks clear: India has grown warmer over the past six decades. Glaciers are melting in the
Himalayas, and orchards in the range‘s valleys are being planted on ever-higher slopes in search of a
temperate climate. Crops in the northern grain belt, notably wheat, are near their maximum tolerance
to heat, and so are vulnerable to short-term blasts of higher temperatures. North India‘s cities are also
growing hotter.
How more warmth affects the monsoon is not straightforward. A land mass heating faster than the
oceans will, in theory, draw in more moisture to produce heavier monsoons. Yet the reverse appears
to be happening. Specialists who met in February in Pune, in Maharashtra state, reported a 4.5%
decline in monsoon rain in the three decades to 2009.
India‘s leading climate modeller, R. Krishnan, of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in
Pune, points to a study showing a ―steady decline‖ in rainfall on the Western Ghats, which run down
the west coast. A Japanese model that he has applied to southern India predicts that a still more rapid
decline in rainfall is likely.
Such a fall may matter little for states such as Kerala in the south, which gets a monthly drenching of
50 centimetres (20 inches) during the wet season. But Mr Krishnan notes other changes, notably
evidence that far fewer depressions have formed in the Bay of Bengal, off India‘s east coast, in recent
summers. Since these help drive rain to India‘s arid northern plains, he concludes that ―there is every
reason to be concerned about the monsoon.‖
Explanations exist for some of this. One theory is that a growing mass of particulates, such as coal
dust and biomass (from the widespread use of cow dung as fuel, for instance) in the air above India,
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now hinders rainfall. Timothy Lenton, a climate scientist at the University of Exeter, argues that such
pollution could trigger wider instability in the monsoon.
Yet a decline in average rainfall may not be the main worry. Experts who met in Delhi in May to
discuss climate-induced ―extreme events‖ in India suggest that likelier threats include more short and
devastating downpours and storms, more frequent floods and droughts, longer consecutive dry days
within monsoons, more rapid drying of the soil as the land heats, and a greater likelihood that plant
and animal diseases might spread.
It does not bode well for farmers, or for crammed cities with poor sewerage and other rotten
infrastructure. Slums and coastal cities look especially vulnerable. Mumbai was overwhelmed in
2005 when nearly a metre of rain was dumped on the city in 24 hours.
Such events will happen more often, the highest official in the country‘s environment ministry warns.
He wants urgently to bring about a big increase in insurance schemes that spread weather-related
risks. Rajendra Pachauri, who leads the United Nations‘ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
worries that India is not yet even seriously debating the new threats. He says it is ill-prepared for
floods and droughts ―that are now considered once-in-every-20-years events, but will be happening
once in two years‖.
The data harvest
The most pressing need is to gather and analyse data. This month Indian scientists and foreign
partners launched a five-year ―monsoon mission‖ to develop climate models for the region. India‘s
government is beginning to act, by setting up new Doppler radar stations to track weather systems
over mountains. It is launching a new plane to fly into cyclones to study their behaviour. Better still,
India and its neighbours could start sharing weather data, comparing ground and satellite
observations, for example.
More can be done elsewhere, too. Most obviously, even the poorest farmers could work together
better to store rainwater, for instance in ponds and tanks, rather than praying for the skies to open.
The share of India‘s farmland that is irrigated could roughly double, officials say. Huge scope exists
to reduce losses through evaporation and leakage from shoddy irrigation systems.
Page 60

More sophisticated farmers are getting better informed. One Indian firm, Weather Risk, sells
forecasts to some 75,000 subscribers, mostly farmers across 15 states. Each pays just 30 rupees a
month for the information the firm supplies. It looks worthwhile. Sonu Agrawal of Weather Risk
notes growing demand for detail on highly localised conditions and short-term rain and hail forecasts.
Demand for crop insurance is also rising.
Mr Agrawal and others remain sanguine about today‘s dry patch, calling it typical of the sort of
droughts that often show up in historic data stored by insurance firms. But given great gaps in
knowledge about the monsoon, and uncertainties over climate change, the need for more accurate and
complete data seems pressing. Studying the late rains this year will not help Prithi Singh and his
parched plot today. But clarifying which, if any, trend poses the greatest threats to farmers like him
could turn out to be one of India‘s most important tasks.
―Monsoon, or later‖, 28/07/2012, online at:
http://www.economist.com/node/21559628?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=d2e
c3fa36c-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Page 61

Finally, monsoon revives
JAIPUR: After a long dry spell, the southwest monsoon revived in the state with several parts
receiving mild to moderate showers on Sunday.
The morning was hot and sultry but by evening dark clouds hovered above the cityscape. Various
parts of Jaipur witnessed moderate showers in the evening.
Water-logging and traffic snarls were reported at Chhoti Chaupar, Chaura Raasta, Statue Circle, MI
Road, Raja Park, Jhotwara and Murlipura areas.
The mercury dipped by several notches and the maximum temperature was recorded at 29 degrees
Celsius post rainfall.
As the weather turned pleasant, Jaipurites too ventured out and thronged various hangout joints.
According to the Met office, Jaipur recorded a rainfall of 6 mm till 8.30 pm.
Attributing the revival of monsoon to the active northerly winds and upper air cyclonic circulation,
the Met said that the ongoing spell will result in mild to moderate showers in eastern and western
parts of the state over the next few days.
The weatherman forecasts adequate rainfall in the third and final spell of the southwest monsoon in
the state. Various parts in the southern and eastern Rajasthan are likely to receive good rainfall in the
coming week.
On Sunday, Kota, Baran, Jhalwar, Karuali and Sawai Madhopur districts also recorded moderate
showers.
Shergarh and Ramganj Mandi areas in Kota district witnessed a maximum rainfall of 7 cm. Rajgarh
in Churu and Manoharthana in Jhalawar districts recorded 6cm rainfall.
Many isolated places in the state witnessed a rainfall varying between 1 and 4 cm.
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In the first two spells of monsoon, all the districts received scanty rainfall with Karauli and Alwar
receiving below average rainfall, the Met department said.
The southwest monsoon had entered the state on July 5 but receded after July 11.
―Finally, monsoon revives‖, 30/07/2012, online at: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-07-
30/jaipur/32941286_1_scanty-rainfall-moderate-showers-monsoon
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Page 63

India, Bangladesh to Meet on Tipaimukh Dam in August
dhaka, Bangladesh — Indian and Bangladeshi experts will meet in late August to assess the impacts
India‘s Tipaimukh multipurpose dam project would have in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh‘s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on July 25 that the Joint Expert Group of Dhaka
and New Delhi would hold its first meeting on August 27-28.
Bangladesh fears that the Surma, Kushiara and other rivers in the country‘s Sylhet region will dry up
if the controversial project is built on the Barak River.
The dam will create a reservoir that covers 22,000 hectares of land; the reservoir, with a capacity of 9
billion meters of water, will be filled when the river floods.
The project would also have the capacity to produce 1,500 megawatts of electricity, but power
generation would fluctuate depending on availability of water.
Bangladeshi scientists say the dam will damage the ecosystem of the surrounding area. Many rivers
in Bangladesh have already dried up due to unilateral water withdrawal by upper riparian India, they
say.
Most of the rivers that flow through Bangladesh originate in the Himalayan mountains, although
some flow down from China.
India has offered Bangladesh the opportunity to participate in the dam project by investing in it and
purchasing the electricity from it; these options are not popular among the Bangladeshi public.
Meanwhile, two Bangladeshi environmental groups -- the Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon, and
Bangladesh Environment Network -- announced earlier this month that they would co-host a
conference in January 2013 aimed at promoting greater understanding among different countries on
basin-wide multilateral management of water resources.
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The ―Water Resources in South Asia: Conflicts to Cooperation‖ conference, to be held on January 4-
5, will address trans-boundary water management in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, China, and Nepal
along the basins of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers, the organizers said.
The river basins are divided by political boundaries, but their water and sediment could be managed
by using a multilateral basin-wide approach that protects the interests of all riparian countries.
The dominant approach in managing these resources has been unilateral, with each country trying to
manage and utilize the water resources and ecosystems within its own boundary without adequate
coordination with other co-riparian countries.
―This approach is not proving conducive to optimal utilization of the resources. Instead, it is often
leading to conflicts,‖ Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon Secretary General Mohammad Abdul Matin told
reporters on July 21.
Asked about successful basin-wide approaches worldwide, he said there were good examples of such
cooperation in Asia, Africa, Europe and some other parts of the world.
The Nile Basin Initiative, the Mekong River Commission, the Amazon Cooperation Treaty and the
Danube Commission are the most successful examples of multilateral cooperation on water
management in common rivers, the conference organizers said.
―India, Bangladesh to Meet on Tipaimukh Dam in August‖, 30/07/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/india-bangladesh-meet-tipaimukh-dam-august_23615
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Page 65

Pakistan Researchers Use Nanotechnology to Make Water From Fog
Pakistan, LAHORE — Pakistani and Saudi Arabian researchers are using nanotechnology processes
to produce drinking water from fog in a research project taking place in Pakistan.
The water collection process mimics nature by observing how the Namid desert beetle collects fog
droplets for its own water consumption.
This is a joint research project by both the King Fahad University of Petroleum and Minerals in
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia and COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Lahore, Pakistan.
Dr, Zaki Ahmad at COMSATS, who is leading the Pakistan research, told OOSKAnews amounts of
water can be harnessed from fog to alleviate shortages of clean drinking water in the country.
―In winter, some parts of Pakistan have up to 22 days of consistent fog, from which we are
generating water. We know that in the coastal areas of Chile, a foggy area of just 12 meters by 4
meters can produce up to 14 liters of water per person per day. This is around 30 percent of the
potential water that can be harnessed from fog.‖
In Chile, traditional fog-collecting methods are used -- polypropylene netting on poles catches the fog
and the resultant water filters through the net.
―Our collection method is different,‖ Ahmad said. ―We are now generating water from fog using
nanotechnology structured stainless steel mesh panel collection sheets. The fog is collected on the
stainless steel mesh surface and is expected to generate up to 50 liters of water per square meter per
hour.‖
Although the method is still in the research phase, Ahmad said that if it is used, around 70 percent of
total water can be harnessed from fog.
The nanotechnology collection method is modelled on the way the Namid desert beetle generates
water from fog for its own consumption, he explained.
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In the report Fog Collection by Mimicking Nature, published in the 2010 Journal of Biomimetics,
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, Ahmad and other co-writers describe how the beetle travels to
the top of sand dunes laden with early morning fog. The fog water droplets are attracted to the top of
micro bumps on the exoskeleton of the beetle, and the drops then roll down to the waxy troughs,
delivering very small amounts of water at a time.
The micro bumps are hydrophilic, which means they readily absorb water and the troughs are
hydrophobic; that is, they repel water. These troughs are filled with nanopores, micro fluid channels
and nano wax crystallites. Droplets with 15-20 micrometer diameters are attracted by the micro
bumps and roll down the troughs on the beetle‘s back. These rolling drops eventually fall into the
beetle‘s mouth as it pushes its mouth backward to obtain water.
―The design of our fog collector is based on creating a nano-micro hybrid surface structure, which
mimics the skin of the desert beetle,‖ Ahmad explains.
He added that as soon as the fog comes in contact with the stainless steel meshed net, water droplets
start to form and roll down the drainage channel and collect in a water tank down the slope of the
sand dunes. Underground PTFE water storage tanks with hand pumps are recommended to prevent
contamination by dust and sand. The water is then filtered through rubber tire powder, making it
pathogen free and suitable for human consumption.
He said this method, although initially costly, offers a sustainable fog collecting system that can be
adopted for arid and semi-arid regions of Pakistan and similar areas.
―Pakistan Researchers Use Nanotechnology to Make Water From Fog ―, 01/08/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/pakistan-researchers-use-nanotechnology-make-water-fog_23660
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Page 67

China Water Signs Joint Venture With Henan Province
BEIJING (China Daily) — China Water Affairs Group Ltd, a provider of water and sewage
treatment, has agreed to establish a joint venture that will be involved in water-related investments
and construction in Henan province and nearby provinces. Jianghe Water Affairs Co, a unit of China
Water, plans to invest $21.2 million USD and own a 45 percent stake in the venture. The remaining
portion of the company will be held by Henan Water Resources Construction Investment Co and
Huanghe Water Affairs Co, China Water said in a Hong Kong Stock Exchange filing. "The potential
for the water business in Henan province and adjacent areas is booming," the Beijing company said
on Monday. Projects related to water resources are now under way in the Yellow River basin, as is
the South-North Water Diversion project.
―China Water Signs Joint Venture With Henan Province‖, 02/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/china-water-signs-joint-venture-henan-province_23685
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Page 68

News Analysis: Monsoons, vortexes cause extreme rains in N. China
BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- After over a week of rainy, overcast and sometimes extreme weather in
Beijing, including the city's worst rainstorm in 61 years resulting in more than 70 deaths, the sky is
blue on Thursday. But meteorologists say rain may fall in the capital again over next few days.
Temperatures in Beijing may drop to between 23 and 29 degrees Celsius in coming days, according
to the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) on Thursday.
This summer, China's traditionally arid northern regions have received frequent downpours, causing
floods, landslides and other natural disasters.
Take the capital for example, the total precipitation here has reached 368.6 mm since the start of the
flood season, up 63 percent year on year to a 14-year high, said Chen Zhenlin, an official with the
CMA.
He said the precipitation in central parts of north China was up 42 percent year on year, northwestern
parts up 25.9 percent and northeastern parts up 18.4 percent. Precipitation in some areas have hit
historical highs, he added.
June to July is the rainy season in north China, but this year's rain was exceptionally heavy. It was a
result of monsoons and cold vortexes, combined with global warming, said Sun Chenghu, an expert
from the National Climate Center.
The summer monsoons in East Asia were strong this year. They brought much water vapor to north
China and increased rains. Also, as cold vortexes in northeastern regions have been active, giving rise
to unstable atmosphere circulations, northern cold airflows met with southern warm airflows,
bringing about heavy rains, Sun said.
Global warming was also behind the extreme weather in northern China. The rise in temperatures has
caused higher humidity and stronger meridional circulations, which has increased the possibility of
rain, he said.
Moreover, as rates of temperature rises differed in different areas, the speed of the westerly belt was
slowed and air circulations were strengthened, providing the conditions for extreme weather, Sun
said.
―News Analysis: Monsoons, vortexes cause extreme rains in N. China‖, 02/08/2012, online at:
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2012-
08/02/c_131756989.htm?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=5c3cc127bc-
RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email
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Page 69

China’s Hebei Province Says Its Water Quality Beats National Average
China, SHIJIAZHUANG — Cities in China‘s northern Hebei province have better quality drinking
water supply than most of the rest of the country, a provincial water official claimed last week.
―According to the new national standard, the pass rate of the finished water of Shijiazhuang city is
more than 99 percent,‖ said Chang Ching, an official at the national water quality monitoring
network station in the provincial capital, Shijiazhuang.
―It is higher than that of the national standard that is 95 percent,‖ Chang added.
The factor holding Hebei back from a 100 percent water quality rating is its natural hardness, Chang
explained.
―It is caused by the hydrogeological environment of Shijiazhuang city,‖ but ―will not cause major
harmful problems to the humans,‖ she added.
Seventy percent of Shijiazhuang‘s supply comes from surface water sources including the Gangnan
and Huangbizhuang reservoirs. The other 30 percent comes from groundwater.
However, Chang noted that the high-quality treated water had to pass from the treatment plants into
the water distribution network and from there to people‘s taps. She said she could not assess its
quality by the time it got to the end user.
The secretary general of the water supply association in province that the specific figure on tap water
quality was ―confidential.‖
However, he said that based on testing results from last year, the water quality again is better than the
national average.
Last month, To Ying, deputy director of the national development and reform commission, issued a
report to the NPC Standing Committee on the safety of drinking water. He found water quality in
Shijiazhuang to be higher than 79.6 percent.
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China‘s new drinking water quality standards went into effect on July 1. Hebei province implemented
the new standards two years early in Shijiazhuang, Chengde, Qinhuangdao and Tangshan.
The province‘s remaining municipalities, districts and towns implemented them by the beginning of
this year.
―China‘s Hebei Province Says Its Water Quality Beats National Average‖,31/07/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/china-s-hebei-province-says-its-water-quality-beats-nationalaverage_23637
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Page 71

Chinese Firm to Conduct Feasibility Study of Bolivian Hydropower Plant
LA PAZ (Fox News Latino) — Bolivia signed a memorandum of understanding with Hydrochina
Corporation that calls for the Chinese state-owned firm to conduct a free feasibility study for the
construction of a hydroelectric power plant in the eastern province of Santa Cruz, the Andean nation's
richest region, the Hydrocarbons and Energy Ministry said. The memorandum was signed Friday
night by Hydrocarbons and Energy Minister Juan Jose Sosa and Hydrochina Corporation
representatives in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Bolivia Li Dong, the ministry said in a
statement. The document calls for Hydrochina to provide the feasibility study to the Bolivian
government on the Rositas hydroelectric power project in Santa Cruz within 90 days "at no
charge." If Bolivia accepts the study, Hydrochina would design and build the power plant, which the
Bolivian government says would have an installed generating capacity of 400 MW. Failure to submit
the feasibility study within the timeframe established in the memorandum would void the agreement,
the ministry said.
―Chinese Firm to Conduct Feasibility Study of Bolivian Hydropower Plant‖, 30/07/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/chinese-firm-conduct-feasibility-study-bolivian-hydropowerplant_23626
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Page 72

Bolivia’s Water for Life Law Will Require Industries to Build Treatment Plants
BOLIVIA, LA PAZ — Under Bolivia‘s new ―Water for Life‖ law, factories and other industrial
premises and oil and mining developments located near rivers or other water reserves will be required
to start operating treatment plants, according to Minister of Environment and Water Felipe Quispe.
Qispe was quoted as saying last week that ―with this law we will force all those companies industries,
oilers, miners and others, to treat the water‖ before discharging it.
As part of the process of implementing the law, government officials met this month with irrigation
water users in Cochabamba. Quispe said the new legislation and the tools it provides were key
―because there is concern due to the dumping of polluted water with diverse chemicals in rivers,
lagoons and other reserves.‖
The law declares water a fundamental human right, offers legal protection for water sources and
targets pollution reduction. It also is intended to reduce conflicts over water use permits and
competition among different users, such as industry, agriculture and residential use.
The executive secretary of the Departmental Irrigation Federation of Cochabamba (FEDECOR),
Carlos Camacho, said problems generally arise when communities are deprived of water supply.
FEDECOR became internationally known for its role in the so-called Cochabamba Water War in
2000. The group, which comprises local professionals, engineers and environmentalists, was a
founding member of the umbrella organization Coordinator for the Defense of Water and Life, which
formed the core of opposition to legislation allowing water privatization in the region.
The Water and Environment Ministry met with FEDECOR representatives and representatives of the
Misicuni Multipurpose Water Project earlier this month.
On July 21, the Ministry of Environment and Water reported that the project‘s 120-meter-high dam
was currently 32 percent completed, and work is expected to be finished by October 2013.
Page 73

The Misicuni project is expected to provide drinking water, irrigation water and electricity to the
region. The reservoir will have a capacity of 150 million cubic meters of water, sourced from the
Misicuni River.
According to Bolivia‘s National Institute of Statistics, the Cochabamba region is the third main
contributor to the country‘s GDP, and the Misicuni multipurpose project could further boost the
regional economy.
―Bolivia‘s Water for Life Law Will Require Industries to Build Treatment Plants‖, 31/07/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/bolivia-s-water-life-law-will-require-industries-build-treatmentplants_23641
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Page 74

Ugandan Parliament Members Vow to Block Reinstatement of Water Tax
KAMPALA, Uganda — An influential committee in Uganda‘s parliament last week rejected a move
by Finance Minister Maria Kiwanuka to reinstate an 18 percent tax on piped water to raise additional
funds in the 2012-2013 national budget.
The MPs, who are members of the parliamentary committee on finance, also opposed another
proposal by Kiwanuka to increase taxes by 18 percent on mobile toilets through the Uganda Revenue
Authority.
The lawmakers, led by Kamwenge MP Frank Tumwebaze, told the revenue authority to find an
alternative means of raising additional funding to close the deficit in this year‘s budget, estimated at
4.1 percent of gross domestic product, instead of ―taxing water and toilets.‖
The tax, which was scrapped in 2011, could generate an additional $9 million USD to support
Uganda‘s $4.6 billion USD national budget. The water sector has been allocated $142 million USD,
up from $109 million USD last year.
Kiwanuka had opposed waiving the tax on piped water, on the grounds that it would lead to a loss of
revenue for the government.
"If the supply of water is zero-rated, the government is foregoing ($5.6 million USD) a year in terms
of revenue," she was quoted saying.
But the MPs warned that reinstating the tax could lead to water shortages and disease outbreaks.
Piped water would become unaffordable for poor people throughout the country, they said.
Estimates from Uganda‘s National Water and Sewerage Corporation show that on average, a 20-liter
jerrican of water costs between $0.06 USD and $0.08 USD.
The parliamentary committee has instead proposed taxing commercial water consumers including
hotels.
Page 75

International NGO WaterAid, which estimates that 33 percent of Uganda‘s population has no access
to safe drinking water, supported the tax waiver for piped water, saying ―the move is in line with
ensuring the right to water and sanitation, which requires that these are available, accessible, safe,
acceptable and affordable for all without discrimination.‖
―Ugandan Parliament Members Vow to Block Reinstatement of Water Tax‖, 31/07/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/ugandan-parliament-members-vow-block-reinstatement-watertax_23634
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Page 76

South African Water Firm Investigated for Corruption
JOHANNESBURG (Solid State Technology) — The government's $1.8 billion USD plan to replace
its ageing municipal water system is being dogged by accusations of corruption in several provinces
over the repeated appointment of one company, Lesira-Teq, to install water meters that keep breaking
down. This follows the release this week of a damning report by the auditor-general that found
municipalities misspent $1.3 billion USD in 2010/11 and red-flagged 95% of councils for poor
financial controls. Despite a litany of complaints about the quality and price of its products, Lesira-
Teq has won contracts worth R614-million in the past five years. These were to install new water
meters in 11 municipalities, including Johannesburg, Mangaung and Mogale City. But, in some
cases, more than 40% of the meters have failed, compared with an industry norm of a less than 2%
failure rate. In addition, the Sunday Times can reveal that Lesira-Teq was secretly awarded a threeyear,
$25 million USD contract by the Ekurhuleni municipality last year without following proper
procurement procedures. This contract is currently the subject of a Special Investigating Unit (SIU)
probe, which led this month to the suspension of five municipal officials, including chief financial
officer Zakes Myeza, water department head Slindokuhle Hadebe and chief water engineer Nomsa
Mali-mabe.
―South African Water Firm Investigated for Corruption‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-waterbriefing/south-african-water-firm-investigated-corruption_23649
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Page 77

African States Mull National Umbrella Funds to Deal With Climate Change
nairoBi, Kenya — Countries in southern and eastern Africa are considering establishing national
umbrella funds to support high-impact interventions that combat the effects of climate change.
At a sub-regional workshop on climate finance held in Nairobi last week, government officials from
the regions endorsed creation of national basket funds to help countries manage droughts, floods and
habitat loss.
The Nairobi climate finance forum was organized by the Common Market for East and Southern
African States (COMESA) in partnership with bilateral donors, UN agencies, local private sector
businesses and farmers‘ groups.
Participants discussed the types of financing mechanisms countries in Sub-Saharan Africa will have
to adopt to prevent social, economic and ecological disturbances.
Climate change remains a huge threat to sustainable development in Africa, but most countries on the
continent have limited financial and technical capacity to address the challenge.
Ali Mohammed, permanent secretary at Kenya‘s Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources,
said southern and eastern Africa were the epicenters of climate change‘s devastating effects.
―In 2011, several countries in the arid and semi-arid lands of Eastern Africa experienced some of the
worst climate impacts in 60 years. Widespread drought resulted in food and water insecurity,
conflicts and livelihood challenges,‖ he said.
Mohammed said that the 2011 drought highlighted the need to apply ecosystem-based approaches to
climate change adaptation, including sound management of trans-boundary waters.
African countries should mobilize domestic and external finances for projects dealing with smart
agriculture, reforestation and water management, he said.
Kenya has adopted a national climate change strategy ―that stress[es] the need to finance
interventions that would shield populations from severe droughts and floods,‖ he added.
Sonnyboy Shongwe a COMESA climate specialist, urged African governments to partner with the
private sector to establish innovative financing mechanisms.
―There is a need to create an umbrella climate fund to help implement adaptation and mitigation
projects in agriculture, water, energy and forestry,‖ Shongwe told OOSKAnews.
Within these funds, both the government and the private sector would contribute resources to help
combat climate change, he said.
Page 78

Shongwe noted that the majority of COMESA states have not yet tapped into climate investments
pledged by the international community.
―Countries should focus on mobilization of domestic financial markets to support climate adaptation
in agriculture, water and forestry,‖ he added.
―African States Mull National Umbrella Funds to Deal With Climate Change ―, 30/07/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/african-states-mull-national-umbrella-funds-deal-climate-change_23617
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Page 79

Climate change study forces sceptical scientists to change minds
Earth's land shown to have warmed by 1.5C over past 250 years, with humans being almost entirely
responsible
The Earth's land has warmed by 1.5C over the past 250 years and "humans are almost entirely the
cause", according to a scientific study set up to address climate change sceptics' concerns about
whether human-induced global warming is occurring.
Prof Richard Muller, a physicist and climate change sceptic who founded the Berkeley Earth Surface
Temperature (Best) project, said he was surprised by the findings. "We were not expecting this, but
as scientists, it is our duty to let the evidence change our minds." He added that he now considers
himself a "converted sceptic" and his views had undergone a "total turnaround" in a short space of
time.
"Our results show that the average temperature of the Earth's land has risen by 2.5F over the past 250
years, including an increase of 1.5 degrees over the most recent 50 years. Moreover, it appears likely
that essentially all of this increase results from the human emission of greenhouse gases," Muller
wrote in an opinion piece for the New York Times.
The team of scientists based at the University of California, Berkeley, gathered and merged a
collection of 14.4m land temperature observations from 44,455 sites across the world dating back to
1753. Previous data sets created by Nasa, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,
and the Met Office and the University of East Anglia's climate research unit only went back to the
mid-1800s and used a fifth as many weather station records.
The funding for the project included $150,000 from the Charles G Koch Charitable Foundation, set
up by the billionaire US coal magnate and key backer of the climate-sceptic Heartland Institute
thinktank. The research also received $100,000 from the Fund for Innovative Climate and Energy
Research, which was created by Bill Gates.
Unlike previous efforts, the temperature data from various sources was not homogenised by hand – a
key criticism by climate sceptics. Instead, the statistical analysis was "completely automated to
Page 80

educe human bias". The Best team concluded that, despite their deeper analysis, their own findings
closely matched the previous temperature reconstructions, "but with reduced uncertainty".
Last October, the Best team published results that showed the average global land temperature has
risen by about 1C since the mid-1950s. But the team did not look for possible fingerprints to explain
this warming. The latest data analysis reached much further back in time but, crucially, also searched
for the most likely cause of the rise by plotting the upward temperature curve against suspected
"forcings". It analysed the warming impact of solar activity – a popular theory among climate
sceptics – but found that, over the past 250 years, the contribution of the sun has been "consistent
with zero". Volcanic eruptions were found to have caused short dips in the temperature rise in the
period 1750–1850, but "only weak analogues" in the 20th century.
"Much to my surprise, by far the best match came to the record of atmospheric carbon dioxide,
measured from atmospheric samples and air trapped in polar ice," said Muller. "While this doesn't
prove that global warming is caused by human greenhouse gases, it is currently the best explanation
we have found, and sets the bar for alternative explanations."
Muller said his team's findings went further and were stronger than the latest report published by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In an unconventional move aimed at appeasing climate sceptics by allowing "full transparency", the
results have been publicly released before being peer reviewed by the Journal of Geophysical
Research. All the data and analysis is now available to be freely scrutinised at the Best website. This
follows the pattern of previous Best results, none of which have yet been published in peer-reviewed
journals.
When the Best project was announced last year, the prominent climate sceptic blogger Anthony
Watts was consulted on the methodology. He stated at the time: "I'm prepared to accept whatever
result they produce, even if it proves my premise wrong." However, tensions have since arisen
between Watts and Muller.
Early indications suggest that climate sceptics are unlikely to fully accept Best's latest results. Prof
Judith Curry, a climatologist at the Georgia Institute of Technology who runs a blog popular with
Page 81

climate sceptics and who is a consulting member of the Best team, told the Guardian that the method
used to attribute the warming to human emissions was "way over-simplistic and not at all convincing
in my opinion". She added: "I don't think this question can be answered by the simple curve fitting
used in this paper, and I don't see that their paper adds anything to our understanding of the causes of
the recent warming."
Prof Michael Mann, the Penn State palaeoclimatologist who has faced hostility from climate sceptics
for his famous "hockey stick" graph showing a rapid rise in temperatures during the 20th century,
said he welcomed the Best results as they "demonstrated once again what scientists have known with
some degree of certainty for nearly two decades". He added: "I applaud Muller and his colleagues for
acting as any good scientists would, following where their analyses led them, without regard for the
possible political repercussions. They are certain to be attacked by the professional climate change
denial crowd for their findings."
Muller said his team's analysis suggested there would be 1.5 degrees of warming over land in the
next 50 years, but if China continues its rapid economic growth and its vast use of coal then that
same warming could take place in less than 20 years.
"Science is that narrow realm of knowledge that, in principle, is universally accepted," wrote Muller.
"I embarked on this analysis to answer questions that, to my mind, had not been answered. I hope
that the Berkeley Earth analysis will help settle the scientific debate regarding global warming and its
human causes. Then comes the difficult part: agreeing across the political and diplomatic spectrum
about what can and should be done."
―Climate change study forces sceptical scientists to change minds‖, 29/07/2012, online at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jul/29/climate-change-sceptics-change-
mind?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=d2ec3fa36c-
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Ecological Footprint and Sustainability Options in the Arab Countries
The 2012 AFED report will analyze sustainability options in Arab countries, based on a survey of
available renewable resources (biocapacity) and consumption (footprint).
As basis for the analysis, AFED has commissioned the Global Footprint Network (GFN), who are
world leaders in this field, to produce an Ecological Footprint Atlas exploring resource constraints in
the Arab countries from the perspective of the regenerative capacity of nature. The study covers the
period from 1961 to 2008, the last year data is available. It covers the 22 members of the League of
Arab States as: individual countries, sub-regions and region, which allows for comparisons.
The Ecological Footprint aims to provide an ecological bank statement for the Arab region,
evaluating its endowment of ecological services and contrasting this with its demand on the global
biosphere, both for resource provision and waste absorption. It is hoped that the 2012 AFED report
on Sustainability Options in the Arab Countries will help promote the concept of ecological accounts
and move towards their integration in decision-making.
The AFED 2012 report will aim at stating the facts. Ignoring signs of deterioration will not solve the
problem. But we don‘t seek to promote a doomsday prophecy. The report will call to face the
challenges and find alternative paths for development in positive and hopeful spirit.
Based on the GFN results and the findings of previous AFED Annual Reports, AFED will prepare an
analysis of about 20,000 words to constitute the core of its 2012 report, entitled: Sustainability
Options in Arab Countries. A small group of experts, who have already contributed to previous
AFED reports, have been invited to contribute to this analysis, which will then be compiled and
professionally edited in a unified piece. Below is plan of main topics and messages:
1- Can any single Arab country, the Arab region as a group or any of its sub-regions, be self
sufficient in food/water, and at what cost? What are the alternatives?
2- Sustainability of rising population. Special analysis: impact of rising percentage of expatriates in
GCC countries. Are the ecosystems of GCC countries prepared to sustain ‗imported‘ population of up
to 90% expatriates? Is it growth for growth, or growth for sustainability?
3- Sustainable Energy, Intensity, Efficiency and Renewables, as a strategy to reduce footprint and
harness non-conventional resources- eg. desalination of water.
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4- How to? Resource development. Resource Efficiency. Alternative paths to sustainability.
5- Benefits of regional cooperation for sustainability: in food production, energy, research and
development.
Between 25-30 April, AFED organized regional consultations (in Cairo, Beirut and Amman) to
discuss preliminary findings.
MAIN FINDINGS OF THE GFN ARAB FOOTPRINT SURVEY
The results for the Arab region Ecological Footprint survey are critical for understanding the region‘s
competitive advantages and disadvantages. Here are highlights of the findings:
* The average Ecological Footprint per capita in the Arab region increased 85 percent, from 1.2 gha
to 2.2 gha per capita, between 1961 and 2008
* Population has increased 250 percent over the same period; the overall regional Ecological
Footprint has therefore increased more than 500 percent.
* Between 1961 and 2008, the available biocapacity per capita in the Arab region decreased 60
percent, from 2.2 gha per capita to 0.9 gha per capita
* 4 nations alone contribute more than 50 percent of the Arab region‘s Ecological Footprint: Egypt
(22 percent), Saudi Arabia (14 percent), UAE (10 percent), and Sudan (9 percent)
* Only 2 nations provide approximately 50 percent of the biocapacity of the Arab region: Sudan (32
percent) and Egypt (17 percent)
* Since 1979 the region has been in a situation of biocapacity deficit, with its demand for ecological
services increasingly exceeding its supply. In order to maintain this situation, the import of ecological
services from outside the region‘s borders was necessary.
* Other than in the GCC countries, the average inhabitant‘s Footprint is small compared to the rest of
the world, and in many cases it is too small to meet basic food, shelter, health and sanitation needs. In
order to make vital quality of life improvements, large segments of the region‘s population must have
greater access to renewable natural resources. Meeting this need will involve multiple strategies:
large improvements in resource efficiency; expansion of biocapacity without resource intensive
production; and, since it is likely that the Ecological Footprint of this region will then rise, a
corresponding decrease in the Ecological Footprint of other regions will be required.
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These findings make it clear that the region may be rapidly approaching a situation where the
imbalance between domestic supply and demand for ecological services places a limit on future
growth and well-being. This report thus aims to encourage decision-makers, and the general public,
to incorporate ecological accounting into their daily practices so that the region can maintain a
competitive advantage well into the future.
―Ecological Footprint and Sustainability Options in the Arab Countries‖, Al-Bia Wal-Tanmia (AFED), 01/08/2012,
online at: http://mideastenvironment.apps01.yorku.ca/?p=5564
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Islamic Bank Allocates Nearly $1 Billion USD for Water, Energy, Food Security in
Africa, Central Asia
Saudi Arabia, JEDDAH — The Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has announced
$912.8 million USD in funding for development projects in a number of member countries in Africa,
the Middle East and Central Asia.
Bank officials said they approved $274.8 million USD last week for food security and rural
development projects in Cameroon, Chad, Uganda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Mauritania and
Togo.
These projects involve providing irrigation water to agricultural lands to increase productivity and
improve food security, and improving overall irrigation systems.
The IDB also approved $683 million USD for hydropower generation and transmission projects in
five member countries -- Morocco, Tunisia, Iran, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan.
According to the bank‘s board chairman, Ahmad Mohamed Ali, this is the largest amount of funds
the bank has allocated at one time since its inception in 1975.
Bank officials also stressed earlier this month that they would fund reconstruction and development
projects in Afghanistan.
Ali said the IDB would offer loans to the Afghan government for agriculture and energy projects.
The bank has already provided $95 million USD for water, irrigation, agriculture and energy projects
there.
In its annual report, the bank reported that around 63.8 percent of its loans in 2011 went toward
water, sanitation and energy projects.
It handled $5.2 billion USD worth of loans that year.
The funds offered by the bank are considered soft loans, since they are interest-free.
―Islamic Bank Allocates Nearly $1 Billion USD for Water, Energy, Food Security in Africa, Central Asia‖, 02/08/2012,
online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/islamic-bank-allocates-nearly-1-billion-usd-water-energyfood-security-africa-c
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ASEAN Nations Discuss Strategic Water Management Plan
Vietnam, QUANG NINH — Representatives of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN), met last week in Vietnam‘s Quang Ninh province to evaluate and discuss cooperative
water resources management initiatives, including the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Water
Resources Management.
The meeting of the 12th for the ASEAN Working Group on Water Resources Management on July
25-27 focused on aspects of the strategic plan that involve water data management, risks and impacts
associated with changing climate, river classification systems, and activities that increase awareness
of water issues and knowledge of and participation in water management.
Member states also discussed regional water events like Singapore International Water Week, the
Clean Environment Summit Singapore 2012 and the Second-Asia Pacific Water Summit.
The ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on Water Resources Management was passed in 2005 to handle
issues regarding supply and demand of freshwater, freshwater quality, sanitation access, extreme
weather events and improving governance and capacity building.
The meeting was co-chaired by ASEAN Chairman for Water Resources Management Chua Soon
Guan and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Bui Cach
Tuyen.
Both the United States and China are dialogue partners to ASEAN, whose members include
Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Burma, the Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and
Vietnam.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, addressing an ASEAN ministerial
conference in Cambodia, described six pillars of American policy in the region: cooperation,
economic integration and trade, engagement in the Lower Mekong region, transnational threats,
democratic development, and war legacies.
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During this sub-regional meeting, the Lower Mekong ministers approved the creation of a new
―Agriculture and Food Security‖ pillar and the renaming of the ―Environment‖ pillar to
―Environment and Water.‖
The next LMI Regional Working Group was tasked with fleshing out the new agriculture/food
security pillar; broadening the environment pillar to include water will allow the nations to better
address sub-regional water-related issues like improving water quality, better flood and drought
forecasting, and expanding access of drinking water and sanitation.
At the Cambodia meeting, ASEAN failed for the first time in its 45-year history to issue at
communique at an annual meeting, amid tensions due to separate territorial disputes two ASEAN
members – the Philippines and Vietnam – have with China in the South China Sea.
―ASEAN Nations Discuss Strategic Water Management Plan ―,30/07/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/asean-nations-discuss-strategic-water-management-plan_23633
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Low Water Levels Reduces Kyrgyzstan Power Export
BISHKEK (Caspionet) — The CA-NEWS has announced that due to the low water level in 2012,
Kyrgyzstan will export to Kazakhstan 1 billion kWh less electricity. As for June 30th, 2012 the water
volume in the Toktogul Reservoir amounted to 17 billion cubic meters, which is 2.2 billion cubic
meters less than last year, when the volume was 19.2 billion cubic meters. As of June 30th, the
volume of electricity exports totaled 877 million kWh or 59% of the same period in 2011, including
the export of 645 million kW to Kazakhstan. Today, the ―Electric stations‖ state-run company signed
a contract with 7 Kazakhstan companies for the sale of electricity at a price of 2.8 cents per 1 kWh.
―Low Water Levels Reduces Kyrgyzstan Power Export‖, 02/08/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-waterbriefing/low-water-levels-reduces-kyrgyzstan-power-export_23691
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Poor Water Quality Water Leads to Hepatitis Outbreaks in Kyrgyzstan
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan — Between 8,000 and 14,000 children in Kyrgyzstan, which has a total
population of 5.6 million people, contract hepatitis A every year due to bad quality drinking water,
the Health Ministry announced.
Marking World Hepatitis Day on July 28, the ministry said most of those sickened by hepatitis A in
the country are children under the age of 14.
―The main reason [for contracting hepatitis A] is drinking water of bad quality,‖ it said. ―Only 62.4
percent of the rural population is provided with water from centralized water supply systems in the
Osh province, 56.1 percent in the Jalal-Abad province and about 50 percent in the Batken province.‖
The mayoral office of the Kyrgyz capital reported that the incidence of hepatitis A in Bishkek
increased by 84.7 percent in the first four months of this year, in comparison to the same period last
year. Every year, more than 1,000 cases of hepatitis A are recorded in the capital.
Of those who contracted hepatitis A in Bishkek in the first four months of 2012, 72.5 percent were
under 15, according to the mayor‘s office.
Bishkek Mayor Isa Omurkulov told residents of the capital‘s Rukhiy-Muras district in late July that
the whole district would be supplied with safe drinking water before the end of this year, with
$338,000 USD spent to build new pipelines.
A water intake facility in the district was rehabilitated in 2010, which allowed the water utility to
provide about half the district with safe drinking water. A pumping station and a water intake facility
worth $159,000 USD will be completed in Rukhiy-Muras soon, Omurkulov said.
Meanwhile, the number of children in Djide Village in the Ferghana Valley in southern Kyrgyzstan
and nearby areas who contract hepatitis due to lack of safe drinking water has increased since 2009,
when local authorities dammed the Toguz Bulak canal upstream to secure access to irrigation water
throughout the summer, EurasiaNet.org reported.
The resulting reservoir was turned into a swimming pool, forcing downstream villagers to drink
contaminated water from the canal.
―Poor Water Quality Water Leads to Hepatitis Outbreaks in Kyrgyzstan‖, 03/08/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/poor-water-quality-water-leads-hepatitis-outbreaks-kyrgyzstan_23704
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Turkmenistan Plans to Revive Aral Sea Coast
Turkmenistan has developed a plan to combat desertification and revive the Aral Sea coastal areas,
according to Turkmenistan.ru, a website used by the country's government to disseminate
information in Russia.
The project will involve creating a green zone in the Botendag hillside in Dashoguz, the region in
northern Turkmenistan closest to the Aral Sea, and in areas adjacent to the sea and will be
implemented jointly with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Minister of Water
Resources Annageldi Yazmyradov said.
Part of the plan is to plant drought-resistant deciduous trees and Haloxylon shrubs in a 20,000-
hectare area, the minister said. The government hopes the measures will help protect the region from
strong winds blowing across the dried-up bed of the Aral Sea, and to combat desertification and soil
salinization, Yazmyradov said.
The project was the brainchild of Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, who first
floated the idea at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, the website
said. Berdimuhamedov has said that tens of millions of dollars will be spent on improving the
ecological situation in the areas adjacent to the Aral Sea.
The Aral Sea, which is located in the heart of the Central Asian desert, was once one of the four
largest lakes in the world with an area of 68,000 square kilometers. The Sea has been steadily
shrinking since the 1960s after the rivers that fed it were diverted for irrigation purposes.
By 2007, it had declined to 10% of its original size, splitting into four lakes – the North Aral Sea, the
eastern and western basins of the once far larger South Aral Sea and one smaller lake between the
North and South Aral Seas.
Ecologists have described the shrinking of the Aral Sea as "one of the planet's worst environmental
disasters." The region's once prosperous fishing industry has been essentially destroyed, bringing
unemployment and economic hardship.
―Turkmenistan Plans to Revive Aral Sea Coast‖, Amu darya Basin network, 04/08/2012, online at:
http://amudaryabasin.net/news/turkmenistan-plans-revive-aral-sea-coast
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Coca-Cola and Its Bottlers Aim for 20 Percent Water Reduction This Year
united states, GA, ATLANTA — The Coca-Cola Company is working in partnership with its
independent bottling partners to achieve a 20 percent reduction of water use this year, according to
the company‘s director of Quality-Policy, Product & Technology, D.V. Darshane.
―Globally, our goal is to safely return to communities and nature an amount of water equivalent to
what we use in all of our products and their production,‖ Darshane told OOSKAnews via email this
week.
―Using water more efficiently in our bottling plants, including the water used by our independent
bottling partners, is an important part of our global water stewardship goal. At present, in partnership
with our bottling partners, we are working toward a 20 percent improvement of our water use
efficiency by 2012.‖
Earlier this month, the company rolled out a ―first of its kind‖ beverage process water recovery
system, which has been trialed in Mexico and India and will be used system-wide technology by
2013.
This system takes already highly treated water and adds further biological treatment through
membrane bioreactor, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, ozonation and lastly ultraviolet disinfection.
It makes the water purer than drinking water standards, according to the company.
―By reusing cleaned and treated water for non-product applications, the new system could potentially
lessen the company‘s withdrawal of water in the long-term as our unit case volume continues to
grow. In the Coca-Cola system alone, that‘s approximately 900 bottling locations in 206 countries,‖
Greg Koch, director of global water stewardship for the Coca-Cola Company, was quoted as saying
by GreenBiz.
Coca-Cola estimates the new system could save the company 100 billion liters of water a year, or 35
percent of operational water needs, once adopted across its entire bottling network.
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―Our new water recovery system is another example of our efforts to continuously improve our water
use and stewardship. Treating and reusing the water we use in our manufacturing processes has the
potential to significantly reduce our overall operational water use over the next few years,‖ Darshane
said.
Although developing these types of technologies requires major capital investment, being able to
reuse water for non-product use means not having to procure as much water, which the company
finds very attractive, he added.
Beverage analysts have referred to this new system as potentially groundbreaking for the industry
due to the large amount of water that could be saved.
"There may be other neat H2O treatment systems out there in beverage, but what Coke has is
innovation plus size and that‘s pretty profound," Robert Kuhn, president of sustainability consulting
firm Kuhn Associates Management Advisors, was quoted as saying.
―Coca-Cola and Its Bottlers Aim for 20 Percent Water Reduction This Year‖, 01/08/2012, online at:
http://www.ooskanews.com/daily-water-briefing/coca-cola-and-its-bottlers-aim-20-percent-water-reductionyear_23676
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U.S. Drought and Climate Change: Science Points to Link
The drought that‘s turned most of the United States into a dessicated hotbox may be a symptom of
climate change, a brutal blowback from carbon pollution.
Climate scientists, who prefer to speak in terms of probabilities and trends rather than single events,
are reluctant to point fingers at any one cause — but signs point to human influence making a natural
dry spell unnaturally severe.
―In any single event, it‘s hard to really know if you‘re just seeing a natural variation or climate
change,‖ cautioned climatologist Chris Funk of the University of California, Santa Barbara. With that
caveat, Funk said when asked if human activity exacerbated the drought, ―Tentatively, the answer is
yes. To some extent, it is.‖
Public sentiment has already linked the drought, which has turned much of the Great Plains and
Midwest into disaster areas, wrecking crops and driving food prices dangerously upwards, to
unnatural climate fluctuation. Belief in climate change is now at an all-time U.S. high, and while
explaining the causes of any large weather pattern is always difficult, enough is known about climate
to make some educated guesses.
Funk‘s specialty is the dynamics of sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean and western Pacific
Ocean. Over the last century, and in particular the last two decades, these rose by an average of 1.25
degrees Fahrenheit. Ocean temperature trends can be tricky to interpret, but there‘s little scientific
disagreement about Indian Ocean warming: It‘s almost certainly man-made, a result of greenhouse
gases trapping heat in Earth‘s atmosphere.
'When these patterns do materialize, they're materializing in a warming climate.'
The consequences are significant. Heated air holds extra water, supercharging monsoon systems and
producing events like 2010′s Pakistan floods. Water vapor is also a greenhouse gas itself, trapping
heat and creating a feedback loop of local warming.
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When the western Pacific is especially warm and the central Pacific is especially cool — the latter a
natural, cyclically occurring condition known as La Niña, which has prevailed since 2010 — the
temperature gradient causes changes in atmospheric circulation.
Dry air is pushed westward toward the Horn of Africa, which in 2011 experienced a massive drought.
There also seems to be an eastward ripple effect, interacting with other weather patterns to produce
drought conditions in mid-latitude regions.
La Niña generally produces dry spells in southern North America, but adding a warm-to-cool Pacific
gradient generates what some scientists call ―the perfect ocean for drought,‖ spreading it far and
wide. This occurred between 1998 and 2002, when a similar warm-to-cool Pacific gradient existed
and drought struck the United States and mid-latitude regions worldwide. Another, lesser gradient
occurred in 2007 and 2008, just before another U.S. drought.
The latest warm-to-cool gradient occurred in 2010 and 2011. Martin Hoerling, a research
meteorologist at NOAA‘s Earth System Research Laboratory who coined the ―perfect ocean for
drought‖ term, said it may well help explain the current disaster.
―The 2011 drought in Texas was part of the La Niña effect, and we‘ve carried it on here,‖ he said.
―When background conditions in the tropical Atlantic and Indian Ocean are warm, it leads to the
worst of all possible worlds for droughts in the mid-latitudes. I can‘t confirm that‘s been driving the
conditions we‘ve been seeing, but it‘s an useful first guess.‖
If that dynamic is at work, then fossil fuel pollution is implicated. ―Some part of it is related to extra
water vapor that wouldn‘t be there‖ if not for human greenhouse gas emissions, Funk said. ―If we
didn‘t have all that extra anthropogenic water vapor, the western Pacific would be cooler, and the
gradient wouldn‘t be as great.‖
Bin Guan, a drought specialist at the California Institute of Technology, struck a cautionary note on
early interpretations. ―Drought development is a long, complicated process,‖ he said. ―Its response to
greenhouse gases is more complicated than temperature alone because it‘s a combination of
temperature, precipitation, evaporation, soil moisture, and other conditions.‖
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Drought severity in the U.S. as of July 24, 2012. Image: Richard Heim, NOAA/NESDIS/NCDC
Whether the current drought‘s severity is linked to greenhouse gas pollution is ―difficult to say with
certainty,‖ Guan said. ―It could be a combination of both natural forces and human impact, but we
can‘t be sure, at least for now.‖
Also fueling the drought was the exception warmth of the past winter and spring, which by drying
U.S. soils reduced the amount of moisture entering regional weather systems through evaporation.
The extent to which that reflects climate change is unknown, as is the provenance of a high-low
pressure system now sitting off the U.S. west coast that funnels warm, dry air from approaching
storm systems, said Hoerling.
Those factors may prove unrelated to human activity, but represent the type of patterns with which
climate change interacts, ultimately producing a world that — regardless of this drought‘s origin —
is expected to become a much hotter, drier place. ―We‘re not creating weather patterns we‘ve never
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experienced before,‖ Hoerling said. ―But when these patterns do materialize from time to time,
through the vagaries of weather, they‘re materializing in a warming climate.‖
―U.S. Drought and Climate Change: Science Points to Link‖, 31/07/2012, online at:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/07/climate-change-
drought/?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=cb5fb97798-
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UN: Tens of Thousands Without Drinking Water in N.Korea
The United Nations says a series of devastating floods has left tens of thousands of North Korean
families without clean water and at risk of a disease outbreak.
In a report Thursday, the U.N. and several aid agencies said two weeks of torrential rains have caused
floods that have contaminated drinking water wells and washed away numerous hospital facilities.
Quoting government figures, the report said the bad weather has left over 60,000 people homeless. It
said there has been major damage to crops in the communist country, which already suffers from
chronic food shortages.
Earlier this week, U.N. staff members visited two flood-hit regions of the country to investigate
damage and assess needs. But the report said it remains difficult to determine the exact humanitarian
condition or its long-term impact on food supplies.
The official Korean Central News Agency has reported at least 119 deaths from the bad weather.
The U.N. report said government figures indicate that over 50,000 people are without access to clean
water. Many areas are using wells that have been contaminated by sewage. There is already an
increase in diarrhea in some regions.
A recent U.N. report said two-thirds of North Korea's 24 million people face chronic food shortages.
Analysts say the latest flooding could make matters worse, since it came at the end of a drought.
Many parts of North Korea have become prone to flooding because of deforestation.
―UN: Tens of Thousands Without Drinking Water in N.Korea‖, 02/08/2012, online at:
http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/08/02/un-tens-of-thousands-without-drinking-water-in-n-
korea/?utm_source=Circle+of+Blue+WaterNews+%26+Alerts&utm_campaign=5c3cc127bc-
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Russia’s Orenburg Region Plans Regional Water Strategy
Russia, ORENBURG — Some 40-60 percent of water assets in Russia‘s Orenburg Region are
degraded beyond the point at which they should be used, leading to a poor standard of drinking water
and inadequate levels of environmental protection, Orenburg Governor Yuri Berg acknowledged last
week.
Berg‘s remarks came during a high-level roundtable meeting of regional officials on July 25 to plan a
strategy for local implementation of the Clean Water Program.
Local sources have suggested that the governor‘s figures are in fact optimistic, that the level of
degradation is higher than he stated and the problem more serious. However, the overall results of the
meeting were positive, in that the local government is taking action to reverse the negative trend of
the last 30 years.
During the meeting, mayors of smaller towns in the region were criticized for using short-term
measures, such as patching up leaking pipes, to hide the underlying problems with water
infrastructure.
However, the mayors may not be entirely to blame, as previously the funding required for large-scale
projects was simply not available.
In keeping with similar provincial applications of the Clean Water Program, the majority of funding
for the development of Orenburg‘s water infrastructure will come from a mixture of federal money
and local government taxation, with the rest to be made up from price increases for customers of the
local vodokanal (water company).
The money will be used for a massive overhaul of the fresh and wastewater systems across most of
the region, including the extension into some rural areas that have previously had no water services.
The bulk of the money will be spent in the city of Orenburg itself, with the precise formula for
division of funds within the region yet to be decided.
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The most expensive items within the program will be entirely new freshwater filtration plants and
sewage treatment centers. These are to be built in locations that serve the current demographic makeup
of the region, but with excess capacity to cope with expected population growth in the next few
decades.
A survey has now begun of the entire Orenburg Region‘s water assets, with the aim of establishing
which parts can be saved and incorporated into the new system.
Planning and design will take place over the next few months, with construction scheduled to begin
next spring.
―Russia‘s Orenburg Region Plans Regional Water Strategy‖, 31/07/2012, online at: http://www.ooskanews.com/dailywater-briefing/russia-s-orenburg-region-plans-regional-water-strategy_23639
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