Mohammed Abdullatif

In short, a scorching future seems unavoidable if warming is not limited quickly and drastically. Hotter summers are only the beginning. Rainfall is diminishing, which, together with the heat, is causing rivers and marshes in southern Iraq to dry up and contributing to the desertification of farmland.

Rising temperatures are also increasing the amount of moisture held in the atmosphere, resulting in drier summers in regions such as the Mediterranean. However, more vegetation leads to more rain, so converting forests to agricultural land can have a significant impact on regional rain patterns.

Cities Alliance’s new brief Empower a Woman with Water and She Can Change Her City, provides an overview of the situation in the region, and share expert views on the issue in countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, and Palestine. The document showcases some of the grassroots initiatives that are enabling women to play a role in water management and makes recommendations for improved women’s engagement in this field.

A range of challenges were presented: the region is water scarce, and the two main river systems, the Nile and the Tigris/Euphrates, are drying up which will lead to transboundary supply issues. Simultaneously, there are many demand issues resulting from increased water use for agricultural, industrial and domestic purposes.

The 2023 UN Water Conference, organized by the Netherlands and Tajikistan, created a space for sectors to collaborate on strategy for new demands on water resources and security. The months leading up to COP 28 may reveal whether this opportunity was truly a starting point.

What is causing the increase in drought and water scarcity in both countries? We could point at climate change as a main cause, due to higher temperatures and reduced rainfall. However, do water management, policies and human behaviour not play a bigger role?

Traditional water systems in the MENA were used for collecting, transporting or storing of water. Several of these techniques have lost their relevance with the introduction of new techniques. However, in several MENA countries traditional water systems are still relevant and used today.

Ongoing disagreements over technical and legal issues concerning the construction of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on the Blue Nile led to new talks being initiated between Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia

The year 2018 was marked by a severe drought in Iraq, a formerly water-rich country. The water crisis is complex, however, with multiple causes and the potential for future conflicts. A group of young Iraqi activists is trying to raise awareness about the issue.

The negative consequences of Middle Eastern regional conflicts for Jordan find an echo in climate change, which also aggravates the country’s water problems: it causes less rain to fall and feed the Jordan River and the Yarmouk River (the two rivers are shared with Israel and Syria). This situation forces people to rely on groundwater reserves, and they are increasingly depleting.

The Middle East Desalination Center (MEDRC), headquartered in the capital Muscat, was founded in 1996. MEDRC is working in alignment with the government strategy to address significant regional or transboundary environmental challenges. Furthermore, it plays a significant role in boosting water-related research and innovation in Oman

This article provides a summary of a five-day dialogue programme of meetings, presentations, discussions and field trips entitled ‘Innovations in water and waste management: Models of transferability to the MENA region’,

Fanack Water interviewed the ambitious al-Bulushi during the event, asking her about her project, her aspirations and vision.

Mohammad al-Hmaidi explains the challenges and achievements of the newly established Water Sector Regulatory Council (WSRC), an institution that began its work in 2016 under the new Water Law in Palestine.

With much of its land an arid, inhospitable desert, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, one of the world’s driest countries, threatens to die of thirst. Analysts have long warned that Jordan, saddled with shrinking renewable resources and a quickly growing population, faced a reckoning. In recent years, however, the challenges confronting this parched kingdom have accelerated.

The Gaza Strip is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an estimated 4,500 inhabitants per square kilometre. The population has increased more than 20 times since 1948

Fanack Water speaks to Tawfiq Habashneh, Secretary General of the Water Authority of Jordan, about supplying water to a growing population.

Fanack Water speaks to Professor Elias Salameh of the University of Jordan about possible solutions to Jordan’s water crisis

Jordan’s water resources