Jordan Environment Watch: Marine Environment

Trio of Activists striving to save the Dead Sea are honored by TIME magazine

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:07:00 GMT

TIME magazine has selected three environmental activists working together across political borders to save the Dead Sea as heroes of the environemnt 2008. Here is the article from TIME The Holy Land is dying of thirst. Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories may once have been lands of milk and honey, but their fragile, semidesert ecosystem has been unable to withstand 60 years of overdevelopment,... [read more]

Bin Laden to Bridge the Red Sea with the First Environmental City of 21 Century!

Sun, 03 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

It is Bin Laden in the spotlight but not the notorious Osama. This time it is Tareq Bin Laden, one of the main construction businessmen in the Middle East trying to launch a pioneering project to build the first of one hundred "cities of light" with perfect environmental standards, and bridging the Red Sea in the process. Who is reporting on this? The Economist. Jul 31st 2008 | DJIBOUTI... [read more]

European Companies dump toxic wastes off Somalia Coast

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 09:16:00 GMT

The Somali coastal waters are not just infested with pirates in a state failing to enforce proper laws, they are used as a "dumping sea" for toxic wastes from some European countries. The concerns have been raised by the UN. More in this report published in Middle East Online UNITED NATIONS - The UN special envoy for Somalia on Friday sounded the alarm about rampant illegal fishing and the... [read more]

Pollution threatens Egypt's fishermen livlihoods

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 12:18:00 GMT

Source: IRIN news DUBAI - Ahmad Issa, 41, has been fishing in Lake Maryut [also spelt Maryout or Marriout] near the port city of Alexandria for the last 30 years. Like thousands of other fishermen, Issa said he was constantly getting skin diseases caused by the polluted water. "I can't hold anything in my hands when my skin is infected. Doctors prescribe ointments, but even with them... [read more]

Artificial coral reef project to protect marine environment in Qatar

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:16:00 GMT

Source: The Peninsula 25.2.2008 Qatar University's Environmental Studies Center (ESC), in collaboration with Qatar Petroleum (QP), has initiated the project for the introduction of artificial coral reef, a method which is fast becoming approved internationally to encourage the growth of coral reefs and ultimately enhance their ecosystem. “The reefs, an important part of Qatar's ecosystem,... [read more]

Africa's largest seawater desalination plant established in Algeria

Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:12:00 GMT

Press release Feb 24, 2008 A persistent shortage of potable water in the City of Algiers, Algeria was eased today as the US $250 million Hamma Seawater Desalination Plant (SWDP) was officially opened by Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Jeff Garwood president and CEO, GE Water Process Technologies, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Completed on time and on budget... [read more]

Egypt's Looming Climate Change Nightmare

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:49:00 GMT

By: Mohammad Yahia Published by: Islam Online Every summer, over one million tourists flock to Alexandria, Egypt, to enjoy the sun and the beaches. The historic city, with its magical charm, is also home to four million people. But the beautiful fragile coastal city of the Mediterranean Sea stands to lose much from the imminent danger of climate change, and it may not even be Egypt's... [read more]

Solar Island in the UAE is not a solution to any problem

Sat, 13 Oct 2007 14:08:00 GMT

Fellow Tunisian blogger Subzero blue has published the story of another invention from the UAE. This time it is a floating solar island, conceptualised by the Swiss Firm CSEM and to be built with UAE money. For once I do not see this as a useful and strategic environmental innovation. Building Islands is a strange trend in the Gulf countries, and it causes a drastic impact on the marine environment... [read more]

Egypt's Nile Delta threatened by Climate Change

Mon, 27 Aug 2007 13:43:00 GMT

It has always been known from global warming predictions scenarios that the Nile Delta region in Egypt is highly vulnerable to any expected rise in sea water levels due to climate change. This fact has pushed Egypt show high interest in climate change research and adaptation measures, unlike most Arab countries still stuttering with the political and economic hurdles against full engagement in climate... [read more]

Aqaba's Environmental Prospects 2007-2010

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:47:48 GMT

By: Batir Wardam You will have to search several locations in the World to find a situation similar to Aqaba’s: Jordan’s only outlet to the sea. This is a unique case of a confined, fragile and exquisite ecosystem subject to the cumulative effect of the “triangle of environmental threats”: Industry, tourism and transport. The Jordanian segment of the Gulf of Aqaba is only 27 Km. Being the... [read more]

Oman and the Gulf States taking note of the impacts of Climate Change

Sat, 23 Jun 2007 02:02:00 GMT

Source: Arabian Business By Conrad Egbert 16 June 2007 With global warming showing no signs of abating, this month's Cyclone Gonu in Oman has reinforced the need for waterfront and offshore construction projects to account for severe weather conditions and the possibility of drastic environmental changes in the near future. One such example is The Wave, Muscat, a mixed-use development... [read more]

Aqaba's Reefs go Artificial

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 20:45:18 GMT

Source: Jordan Times 8-6-2007 By Dalya Dajani AQABA — Beneath the pristine waters of this Red Sea resort, a concrete paradise is giving Mother Nature and the local fishing community a helping hand. Emerging from a featureless sandy bed in the northernmost tip of the Aqaba coast, an artificial reef has been steadily thriving over the past two years as a safe haven for the fragile marine... [read more]

Bahrain's coral reefs a bed of rubble

Tue, 29 May 2007 10:17:00 GMT

Source: Gulf Daily News Bahrain risks losing all its vital coral reefs unless action is taken immediately, an environmental expert warned yesterday. British biologist Dr Charles Sheppard said that excessive excavation, land reclamation, landfill, illegal dumping and pollution - among other things - were already to blame for the destruction of one major coral reef in the country's waters... [read more]

Qatargas relocates 4,500 Coral Colonies

Thu, 24 May 2007 15:12:00 GMT

An interesting environmental remediation effort was conducted lately by Qatargas Co. in an attempt to mitigate the impacts of a future pipeline corridor within the Company's expansion plan. This news item is from "Arab News" and I hope the truth is as good as the promotional highlight. Qatargas has completed a major initiative as part of its ongoing environmental commitment for its expansion... [read more]

Saving the Dead Sea

Tue, 08 May 2007 11:42:00 GMT

BY JAMAL HALABY - Associated Press May 6, 2007 GHOR HADITHA, Jordan (AP) - Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Arabs are slowly pushing through the tangle of their disputes and suspicions in a race to save a biblical and ecological treasure, the Dead Sea. The famously salty sea, which lies at Earth's lowest point, is shrinking. It has receded by some three feet a year for the past 25 years, and... [read more]

Study: 96% of Saudi Arabia's Coastal Areas Owned by Private Investors

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 00:58:00 GMT

Arab News April 13th 2007 Official research has revealed that private investors own around 96 percent of the Kingdom’s coastal areas, leaving only four percent for public use. The Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Metrological and Environmental Protection Administration and the Coast Guards jointly conducted the study of the Kingdom’s coast. A recent... [read more]

World Bank invites bids for Red-Dead Environmental and feasibility study

Thu, 05 Apr 2007 09:49:00 GMT

Source: Jordan Times By Mohammad Ben Hussein AMMAN – The World Bank on Wednesday invited international companies to bid for a $15.5 million feasibility study to examine the environmental and social impacts of the Red-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project on the surrounding countries. “The overall objective of the study is to evaluate the conveyance of water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea... [read more]

Qatar issues strict warnings against marine polluters

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:38:00 GMT

Source: Gilf Times By Arvind Nair THE Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture has issued a severe warning to boat owners, fishermen and others against polluting the waters and coastal areas. The Beaches and Islands Monitoring Unit at the ministry said strict action would be taken against those flouting the rules on sanitation and environment. Rules pertaining to marine and coastal protection... [read more]

Jordanian fishermen unhappy with Aqaba water

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:08:38 GMT

Source: Middle East Online AMMAN - Pollution, over-fishing and the destruction of marine habitat are driving commercial fisheries in the port city of Aqaba, 250km south of Amman, to the brink of collapse, environmentalists and fishermen said on Sunday. “Immediate action must be taken to stop the ongoing depletion of fish stocks and damage to the eco-system,” said Fadi Sharaiha of the Royal... [read more]

Nakheel signs landmark agreement with UNU for Marine Conservation

Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:17:00 GMT

Source: Al Bawaba Nakheel, the UAE’s leading real estate developer, has taken another significant step forward in ensuring the long-term sustainability of its offshore developments following the signing of a strategic agreement with the United Nations University (UNU). The agreement on Marine Ecosystem Management engages a team of leading coastal management experts and includes a review of Nakheel’s... [read more]

UAE Marine Conservation Forum

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:07:00 GMT

The first EWS-WWF Marine Conservation Forum took place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on September 11-14, 2006. The Forum provided an opportunity for the region’s environmentalists to share concerns about the region’s coral reef and marine turtle populations and collaborate on potential solutions. Representatives from Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and... [read more]

Keeping the Dead Sea Alive

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 14:00:00 GMT

Jordanian magazine "Jordan Business" has recently published a thorough analytical article on the joint statement by Jordan, Israel and Palestine to conduct a feasibility and environmental impact study for the proposed Red-Dead Canal. This is the full text of the article: Last month, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and Israel launched a two-year feasibility study for a project to replenish... [read more]

Reviving the Dead Sea

Sun, 14 Jan 2007 11:24:00 GMT

Another interesting article from the Jordanian economic expert Yousef Mansour published by the Jordan Times on January 9th Yusuf Mansur Can the dead be revived? No, but if we are speaking of the Dead Sea, it is possible, and with water, too! How simple the cure is. The new-old initiative of connecting the Red Sea with the Dead Sea is the most important economic project for the sustainable... [read more]

Morocco ratifies fishing quota deal with EU

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 20:34:00 GMT

Source: Middle East Online RABAT - Morocco's parliament has ratified an agreement with the European Union that radically reduces the number of European boats allowed to fish in Moroccan waters, a parliamentary source said. The fishing accord was signed in Brussels between Morocco and the EU on July 28, 2005, but needed to go through parliament, the source said. The deal cuts the number... [read more]

MENBO Mediterranean Cooperation Session 2006

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:41:00 GMT

The Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations (MENBO) and GWP-Med organised a Cooperation Session on the Mediterranean Basin, together with MENBO’s 4th General Assembly preceding the Euro-Mediterranean Water Directors Conference. During the Session, which took place in Athens on the 5th of November, several projects (TWINBASIN, MELIA, GEWAMED, SPI-Water), organisations (IME, GWP-Med and EMWIS)... [read more]

Red-Dead Canal — water flowing through the pipes

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:37:00 GMT

This is an opinion article published in the Jordan Times by Dr Dureid Mahasneh the former Secretary General of the Jordan Valley Authority and a former leading water negotiator in the Jordanian-Israeli water negotiations associated with the Jordan-Israel peace treaty. This article is about the Red-Dead Seas canal. By Dureid Mahasneh Finally a concrete step towards starting the Red Sea Dead... [read more]

Jordan, World Bank discuss implementation of Red-Dead study

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 17:34:00 GMT

Source: Jordan Times By Hana Namroqa AMMAN — Jordan and the World Bank on Tuesday held a meeting to discuss how to proceed with the Red-Dead Canal feasibility study, a World Bank official said. Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel agreed on Sunday to proceed with the study of a $2-4 billion project to top up the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea through a 180km pipeline. During yesterday’s... [read more]

The New Death of the Dead Sea

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 22:47:15 GMT

Source: Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), United Nations, October 16, 2006 As the Dead Sea slowly shrinks towards extinction, fears are growing that the saltiest body of water on earth will not disappear without taking a few lives along with it. The Dead Sea has fallen more than 20 meters over the past 40 years. Studies by scientists at the University of Jordan have shown... [read more]

long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up the Mediterranean Sea

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 19:41:40 GMT

The European Commission this week proposed a long-term environmental strategy for cleaning up the Mediterranean Sea. This unique ecosystem is deteriorating as environmental pressures increase. The major oil spill that occurred during the recent conflict in Lebanon has dramatically highlighted the vulnerability of the region's environment. A key pillar of the strategy is 'Horizon 2020', an initiative... [read more]

"Rainbow Worrior" to track environmental damage in Lebanon

Sat, 30 Sep 2006 18:16:00 GMT

From: Daily Star By Iman Azzi TABARJA: Most of the rainbows glimmering on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Lebanon are the unfortunate results of the attack by Israeli warplanes on the Jiyyeh power plant on July 12 and again three days later. However, a larger, bolder and more ecologically correct rainbow has now entered Lebanon's harbor, hoping to lend a hand, or a fin,... [read more]