Tag Archive for 'desertification'

Water mismanagement threatens Moroccan oasis

Published on 06/21/2012 in aquatic ecosystems, desertification and water shortage. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

For centuries the sharing out of water in the oasis was managed in the "khattara" tradition

Retrieved from: Phys

“Tucked away in Morocco’s high Atlas mountains the vast oasis of Errachidia, among the most beautiful in the south of the country, is today threatened by bad management.

“I dug four wells before finding water. Around me, the neighbours have no water. Before, there was water everywhere. That’s the will of God,” M’barek added, staring down at the stream carrying well water to the fields.

“For centuries the sharing out of water in the oasis, now threatened with drying out, was managed in the “khattara” tradition, whereby water towers were used and distribution took place according to need, in line with ancestral Berber rites.

“This system made it possible to maintain a regular flow of water all year round.

“From the 1970s, farmers have introduced , leading to the progressive depletion of the . Fields, once steadily cultivated and green, are now wasteland abandoned by the oasis dwellers.

“The outlines of the fields, you can see how big they are. Look, one, two, three, four meters (13 yards) wide. They are big, so that means there was lots of water,” said Lahcen Kabiri, professor of environmental geosciences at the University of Errachidia.

“Kabiri said the situation “could turn into a real catastrophe in light of the role of oases in the struggle against desertification.

“If the water runs out, then everything that depends on it will be in a dramatic situation. We will be up against an unprecedented ecological disaster.”

Read more: Phys

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Abu Dhabi’s Climate Change Choice: Trees Or Water?

Published on 11/17/2010 in agriculture, climate change, desalination, drought, groundwater and water shortage. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

Photo retrieved from: www.greenprophet.com

“The Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) has planted one million trees in four years in order to stave off climate change and desertification, and to restore its heritage of indigenous trees.

Although the group has planted trees that are accustomed to the desert environment and therefore well-adapted to scant water resources and high temperatures, the Federal National Council (FNC) addressed the Ministry of Environment and Water with concerns about Abu Dhabi water scarcity.

“The UAE used 4.5 billion cubic metres of water in 2009. Slightly more than half of the water supply comes from groundwater,” according to The National. “The agricultural sector uses 97 per cent of that groundwater, while contributing 3.3 per cent of GDP.”

Referring mostly to water used for growing food, but applicable to all vegetation, FNC members stressed that the Ministry must re-evaluate its growing scheme.

“Agriculture needs a fundamental rethinking,” Mr al Zaabi, an FNC member from Sharjah, said at a recent meeting with the Ministry. “What do we plant, where do we plant it, and how do we plant it?”

Failure to do so could deplete groundwater sources. Meanwhile, various FNC members voiced urgent concerns about the Emirate’s backup in the event that an emergency compromises the 83 desalination plants that The National suggests provides 65% of Abu Dhabi’s commercial and residential water supply.”

Read more: Green Prophet

lily victoria

Leaving Water Wars In The Past, Five Middle Eastern Countries Tackle Sandstorms

Published on 10/07/2010 in climate change, dams, policy, rivers, solutions and outreach, water shortage and water wars. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Photo retrieved from: www.unccd.com

“Soil erosion, poor water management, overgrazing, and deforestation, as well as drought, another natural but worsening phenomena, all contribute to fiercer sandstorms.

Last summer, one particularly bad week-long sandstorm sent hundreds to the hospital with breathing difficulties, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty wrote at the time, according to Treehugger:

Iraq has long suffered blinding sandstorms, but several years of drought have aggravated the situation this year. The inadequate flow of water down its once-mighty rivers, the Tigris and Euphrates, which are choked by dams in upstream countries like Turkey, has made things worse. Water shortages make the land dry out and become more dusty.

And despite “disputes over water from the Tigris and Euphrates [that] have long been a point of contention,” Iran, Iraq, Syria, Qatar, and Turkey have all pledged to improve vegetation and stabilize soil resources, Treehugger reported.

They will also establish a series of meteorological stations.

Hurriyet Daily News reports that “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, meeting with some of the officials, hailed the agreement on Wednesday.”

“Surely, in the near future we will witness other regional nations joining this cooperation to tackle soil erosion, air pollution and desertification,” he was quoted by the presidency website as saying.

As human survival becomes increasingly endangered by environmental instability, particularly in the Middle East where weather patterns are already extreme, we can only hope that our leaders will set aside their political hubris and embrace constructive, borderless cooperation instead.”

Read more: Green Prophet

lily victoria