Waste(not)water for Agriculture
Reclaimed Water is Water for Farms Reclaimed water is wastewater that has been treated to improve its quality to render it usable to irrigate crops. Most of the crops grown in Palestine are rain-fed, which causes significant fluctuations in annual productivity[1]. However, supplementing rain-fed farming with irrigated farming using treated wastewater would greatly stabilize production.
Sealing The Pipes To Save Water In Palestine
To raise awareness about the region’s opportunities to conserve water in Palestine, Israel and Jordan, FoEME is launching campaigns to raise public awareness about important and eco-nomically sensible interventions that can be implemented to save water and increase the water supply to the Jordan River. In Palestine, although most of the population is connected to […]
The Tale of the Jordan Valley: Why We Must Protect the Lower Jordan River and the Dead Sea
Throughout history, the land of Jordan has been renowned for its verdant vegetation and wildlife. Ancient mosaics and stone engravings show pictures of lush fields filled with exotic animals. Known in the Bible as the “land of milk and honey,” the area was also described by more recent historians and travelers as green and abundant […]
Reflections on my internship with FoEME
During the first six months of my student exchange program from Germany I worked on an independent study completed in cooperation with Dr. Fischhendler from the Institute of Geography in the Hebrew University. It was, in fact, Dr. Fischhendler who suggested that I contact FoEME, after highlighting some of the major problems with water distribution and […]
Reflections of an American Intern with Friends of the Earth Middle East
I use my cab rides to practice Arabic. After a day or two interning with Friends of the Earth Middle East, I mastered a new Arabic script: a FoEME elevator pitch for cab drivers. Oh, I heard about them on the radio, drivers would respond. I’ve interned with FoEME’s Amman office for the last two […]
Desalination: A Solution to Israel’s Water Woes?
Israel’s water supply is on the verge of a state of emergency. The Israeli government has proposed an increase in desalination as the solution, and has made a plan to greatly expand their desalination program by 2020. However, the human, environmental, and financial costs of this method have not been fully explored. In a recently […]
Lessons from Australia: Australian Journalist Chris Hammer Visits Lower Jordan River Basin with FoEME
“The Murray-Darling River is confronted with high levels of salinity, its wetland ecosystems are endangered, its water is diverted and used inefficiently, especially in agriculture, and in some years, its waters do not reach the estuary. Does this sound familiar?” This is how Chris Hammer, an Australian journalist with 20 years of experience, author of […]
“Throwaway societies” and the threat to future water supplies
In its daily production and consumption of goods and services, society generates wastes. This waste must be disposed of, often at locations other than where they were generated. Wastes are discharged into atmosphere, into surface and groundwater courses, and on the land. The enlightened communities of the world see a very clear sign to a […]
Making water conservation a way of life: Part 5: Domestic Water Demand Management in Palestine.
This is the fifth blog of a series of blogs, which explore issues of water demand management in Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories, looking at water saving options in the domestic and agricultural sector. This entry about domestic water demand management in the Palestinian territories was written by Laura Meems, FoEME intern at the […]
Welcoming one of FoEME’s founding members: a look into the Jordan River Valley’s Biodiversity, Past and Future.
In biblical accounts, the Jordan River Valley is closely associated with a healthy, lush and functioning ecosystem. Today, the River’s trickling water and disappearance of more than half of its species are hardly in-keeping with this image. But who keeps an eye on the disappearance of the River’s species? We welcome a founding member of […]