Water use innovations crucial to face climate change in Arab countries.
A farmer harvesting water from a well for his goats and sheep.
In the Near East and North Africa region, the per capita renewable water availability is around 600 cubic metres per person per year – only 10 percent of the world average – and drops to just 100 cubic metres in some countries.
The Director-General praised Near East and North African countries’ progress, despite the challenges, in areas such as desalination, water harvesting, drip irrigation and treating wastewater.
"It is fundamental to promote ways for agriculture, and food production in general, to use less water, and use it more efficiently," he said.
Climate change, in particular, poses very serious risks."
"Not only to encourage them to adopt more efficient farming technologies, but also to secure access to drinking water for poor rural households.
"There is a major gap between supply and demand when it comes not only to water but also food in the Arab region.
He also urged better collaboration with countries that are home to rivers that flow into the region, and noted that water levels in the Euphrates and Nile Rivers are decreasing steadily.
FAO in Action In collaboration with the Arab League, FAO launched a Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity in the Near East in 2013 which supports the coordination of a Regional Collaborative Strategy.

Climate Change and Security.
Understanding how climate change will impact the life of every single human being is key when preparing for future security challenges.
Although state and human security challenges vary across regions and individual countries, solutions must be found collectively.
If we stop climate action, how would it change the work of security professionals, be they from the public or private sectors?
Combined with rising populations globally, this is a recipe for a disaster – no matter who causes climate change.
What are our options for the future warmer world?
Such communications strategies should echo SDG 13 on Climate Action: “Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.” Be creative –Think out of the box, and adopt an innovative approach to solving shared challenges.
Understanding current and potential security implications of climate change allows decision makers and leaders to better prepare and design more effective security policies for their governments, companies, and organisations.
We will look into possible futures and design creative solutions to address this monumental challenge.
You will gain not only knowledge, but also a network of professionals for future climate action.

Arab League urges int’l efforts to tackle water, food security challenges.
CAIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) — Arab League (AL) Chief Ahmad Abul Gheit stressed Tuesday the importance of mobilizing international efforts to tackle challenges to water and food security in the Arab region, according to AL statement.
"Nearly seven million persons in Yemen, which has been experiencing a fierce civil war, are facing the dangers of famine, which made the country a base for the severest food security crisis in the modern history," Abul-Gheit said in his speech at the 40th Session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations Conference, currently in session in Rome.
The armed conflicts in countries of Syria, Libya and Somalia are similar (to Yemen), which require unifying regional and international efforts to provide necessary aid for people in harm, the AL statement quoted Abul Gheit as saying.
The AL Chief highlighted "the region is subject to water scarcity, drought and food insecurity, which are all phenomenon that have been growing since civil wars erupted in some Arab countries after 2011 Arab Spring uprisings."
The FAO Conference which groups over 600 high-level government officials and representatives from 194 countries will be concluded on July 8.
The conference mainly focuses on issues and policies related to global food security.
Abul Gheit added the water, agriculture and climate changes files are main reasons for instability of the region, and will shadow negative impact on the future of the regional countries.
According to a 2016 report of the Food Security Information Network (FSIN) which is co-sponsored by the United Nations Food Agency, nearly 108 million people were reported to be facing crisis-level food insecurity, a drastic increase from the previous year’s total of almost 80 million.
The FSIN report added that in 2017, widespread food insecurity is likely to persist in Iraq, Syria (including its refugees in neighboring countries), Malawi and Zimbabwe.

The following companies as the key players in the global mobile water treatment market: Aquatech International, Evoqua Water Technologies, GE Water and Process Technologies, Pall, and Veolia.
Mobile Water Treatment Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts.
The report also includes a discussion of the Key vendors operating in this market.
Membrane technologies such as wastewater treatment by membrane reactors and desalination by RO are already being used in industries on a large scale.
The report contains a comprehensive market and vendor landscape in addition to a SWOT analysis of the key vendors.
The presence of calcium and magnesium ions increases the hardness of water.
The report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global mobile water treatment market for 2017-2021.
Mobile water treatment products and services provide highly purified water for critical industrial applications.
Key questions answered in this report What will the market size be in 2021 and what will the growth rate be?
Who are the key vendors in this industry space?

Teachers also spoke to us on climate change and I started questioning why people were worried about it.
After a point my teachers couldn’t answer my questions.
He was able to answer many of my questions,” states the young man.
That was when he joined the Climate Reality Project as a volunteer.
Meanwhile the NGO Walk for Water also offered him the position of state head for Karnataka, after which he organised a Grand Water Conservation Walk in Bengaluru, which was attended by over 1,500 walkers.
When I first came to Bengaluru in 2004, water scarcity was not a problem.
It is only when a problem spills out of villages into cities that people start working towards it,” he observes.
So whenever I am working on a project, I tell my friends — from Pakistan to Africa and the US — so there is a global initiative.
“It’s not easy to make people understand they can’t take me for granted because of my age.
“When I give presentations to children they they love it, simply because it is by one of them.

Agriculture minister, FAO director discuss joint projects in Jordan.
Agriculture minister, FAO director discuss joint projects in Jordan Rome, July 4 (Petra) – Minister of Agriculture, Khalid Hunifat, discussed with Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva, joint projects and programs that are carried out by the organization in Jordan.
On the sidelines of the participation of Hunifat in the 40th session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference which kicked off yesterday in the Italian capital Rome, the two sides discussed means to support the FAO’s office in Amman with projects, programs, activities and staff in order to enable it to carry out its tasks in light of the Syrian refugee crisis and its repercussions on the agricultural sector.
Discussions also tackled the policies, strategies and challenges facing the agricultural sector in Jordan, water scarcity and the impact of climate change on such sector.
They also reviewed the negative effects of the Syrian crisis on the sector, employment in the agricultural sector, natural resources, food security of rural households, and their impacts on traders, transport and marketing of agricultural products.
The minister and the director called on the international community, the donor countries and the international organizations to support the response plans to reduce the impact of the Syrian crisis on such sector and the possibility for FAO to support the Kingdom in order to obtain funding of around $50 million from the Green climate Fund.
//Petra//WH

Water Governance: Institutional alternatives and development cooperation.
The recent policy of Trump administration of pulling the United States (US) out of Paris accord is the perfect example of how much we are concerned with the well-being of our planet.
World Economic Forum has also identified water crisis as the highest impact risk facing the world.
The plot of 2008 James Bond blockbuster ‘Quantum of Solace’ showed a similar situation, where a criminal syndicate aimed on global domination plans to seize control of water supply of Bolivia.
The Organization for Economic Corporation and Development (OECD) estimates that by the end of year 2050 the demand of water in the world will grow by 55 percent.
Government seems to be least interested in the issue, though federal budget 2017 has identified 33 water development schemes all over the country, from which 24 have been embarked for Baluchistan, however past record of the government and state of corruption and politics in the country has made the fate of these projects dubious.
With the funding from PPAF, BRAC Pakistan has completed twenty five drinking water schemes in Lasbeela district of Baluchistan.
While talking to BRAC Pakistan Project Manager in Lasbeela, Saif Ullah Mengal, he underlined the significance of the project and risks associated to it.
Motivation and awareness were also disseminated through meetings to ensure that the water management committees are functioning well.
Changing the conditions for water management and distribution in Pakistan is not only about taking new steps forward.

The government Monday gave its approval to the revised estimate of Rs 4,959 crore for the Krishna-Koyna irrigation project.
The project cost has been enhanced from Rs 1,982 crore (2000-2001) to Rs 4,959 crore.
The proposal by the Ministry of Water Resources was approved in the cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The allocation overrides the financial constraints in the wake of Rs 34,000-crore farm loan waiver.
The project will bring 1,09,127 hectares of land under irrigation, providing 26 TMC water through Krishna-Koyna dams.
Minister for Water Resources Girish Mahajan said, “The project will put an end to the water scarcity problems in Khanapur, Tasgaon, Miraj, Kadegaon, Palus, Sanglola, Magalveda, and Kavthemahakal in Sangli and Solapur districts.
While Mhaisal lift irrigation works would add 17.44 TMC water and bring 81,697 hectares under irrigation, Takari lift irrigation would help in making available 9.34 TMC water and bring 27,430 hectares under irrigation.
The project was first approved during the Congress government in 1982-83 at Rs 82 crore.
The cost was revised to Rs 1,321 crore in 1995-96, and then to Rs 1,982 crore in 2000-01.
During the Congress-NCP government, there was a separate cabinet minister dedicated for the irrigation works under the Krishna Valley Development Corporation.

News items from ISU Marketing and Communications POCATELLO – Idaho State University is coordinating studies by researchers in Idaho and from around the world that examine how different societies in different ecosystems understand the economic and other benefits ecosystems provide.
In the United States, the ISU Social-Ecological Research Laboratory is studying two sites in Idaho, including the Portneuf and Treasure valleys, and watersheds in Texas, Oklahoma and Alabama.
Internationally, the lab is working with researchers at two sites in Spain, and one site each in China, Sweden and South Africa.
“The focus of the effort is looking at the long-term challenge that different sites of the world have dealing with water scarcity and governance.” Part of the lab’s effort is working with the National Science Foundation’s Managing Idaho’s Landscapes for Ecosystem Services (MILES) project that has a goal to provide science-based decision support needed to sustainably manage Idaho’s resources.
The focus of the grant is understanding ecosystem services provided by Idaho´s landscapes, which are benefits that flow from ecosystems to humans that support directly or indirectly their wellbeing.
“So, for example, we may want to conserve an Idaho landscape because we like to go hunting and fishing there, but also because we know the welfare of our communities is directly and indirectly dependent on the way we conserve other benefits such as the water from aquifers or the cultural identity of local communities.” Earlier this year Castro’s laboratory brought researchers from around the world for a Program on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) – Water Scarcity Workshop that examined these issues.
These researchers have varied academic backgrounds including expertise in ecology, hydrology, political science, sociology, physical and human geography, history, public policy, urban planning, computer sciences, communication and visualization.
“We are seeing if we can provide big messages regarding global sustainability, that is the goal for me,” Castro said.
“There are different countries, with different cultural contexts, examining these issues and our long-term goal is identify within these communities what are our biggest challenges are.” The MILES grant has been beneficial in a variety of ways, including putting Idaho and its universities “on the map” internationally.
For information on the ISU Social-Ecological Research Laboratory visit http://www.antoniojcastro.com.

Water scarcity worsens in Kishtwar villages.
They appealed to the District Development Commissioner Kishtwar to ensure regular supply of drinking water to the villagers.
Due to alleged mismanagement of the PHE department, the water crisis has deepened in various villages of Kishtwar district, including PDC colony, Wassar, and Sanghrambhata forcing the people to come out on streets and lodge protest in support of their demands.
However, the residents of PDC colony alleged that the concerned department has been supplying drinking water on discriminatory basis, and lamented that the maximum residents in PDC colony were migrants from Dacchan and Padder.
As per reports, the residents alleged that the concerned department is not giving heed to their grievances regarding scarcity of water.
They said that despite frequent requests to the officials of the department, no relief has been provided till date.
“The employees at PHE supply water at its own will, especially to the villages having some political influence,” villagers alleged and added that the department is even not giving attention towards the repair of existing supply lines.
They appealed to the District Development Commissioner Kishtwar to ensure regular supply of drinking water to the villagers.