Haaretz,
August 4, 2007
By The Associated Press
Israel is reviving plans for a nuclear power plant in the Negev Desert, Army Radio quoted Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) as saying on Friday.
Continue reading "Ben-Eliezer: Israel reviving plan to build nuclear power plant" »
The Daily Star
August 04, 2007
Daily Star staff
BEIRUT: USAID inaugurated five water-treatments plants in Haytoura, Ayshiyyeh, Ghobbatieh/Benwati, Wadi Jezzine and Snayyah in Jezzine District, South Lebanon, according to a USAID statement. The inauguration was attended by mission director Raouf Youssef, Haytoura Mayor Elias Rashed, Ayshiyyeh Municipality vice president Youssef Fares, Wadi Jezzine Mayor Robert Abu Suleiman, Benwati Mayor Mounir Rbeih and Snayyah Mayor Joseph Nawfal
Continue reading "USAID opens 5 water treatment plants in South" »
6 August 2007
MEDIA RELEASE
WORLD BANK TO HOLD FIRST SET OF PUBLIC HEARINGS ON "RED DEAD" CANAL PROJECT
On Sunday, August 12th, the World Bank will hold its first public hearing on the
Terms of Reference of the Feasibility Study for the "Red Dead Conduit" project.
Continue reading "World Bank to hold public hearing on Red Dead Canal" »
Jordan Times
July 30, 2007
By Dalya Dajani
AMMAN --The Ayla Oasis Development Company is on track with its plans for the
mega-lagoon resort project in Aqaba, with evaluation underway of seven
international contractors who have submitted their tenders for the project.
Jordan Times
July 30, 2007
King urges speedy work on "King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud Residential
City" designed to ensure citizens reasonably-priced housing
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN -- King Abdullah on Monday issued instructions to the government to
accelerate efforts to build the King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Residential City In Zarqa.
Continue reading "Zarqa residential city project to start in August" »
Jordan Times
July 30, 2007
King urges speedy work on "King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud Residential
City" designed to ensure citizens reasonably-priced housing
By Mohammad Ghazal
AMMAN -- King Abdullah on Monday issued instructions to the government to
accelerate efforts to build the King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Residential City In Zarqa.
Continue reading "Zarqa residential city project to start in August" »
Haaretz
July 30, 2007
By Ido Solomon
Workers at the building housing the Tel Aviv branches of government offices will launch labor sanctions this morning, in protest over Finance Ministry delays in fixing a faulty ventilation system and other problems they say constitute health hazards. The 1,700 workers will come to work, but will not provide services to the public, nor answer the phones.
Continue reading "Civil servants protest unhealthy work environment at TA government complex" »
Haaretz
August 2, 2007
By Jack Khoury
From a distance, the eastern neighborhood of the Galilee village of Majdal Krum looks pastoral, its relatively new homes sitting along green hills. Yesterday at dusk, a lone horse was even wandering in the fields. To the south, the nearby villas of Karmiel come into view. But as you come closer, you quickly see why residents call it "Sewage Valley."
Continue reading "In 'Sewage Valley,' no solution in the pipeline" »
Haaretz
July 31, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked to put off the removal of the fish cages from the Eilat Gulf by two years, despite a cabinet decision two years ago stating that they must go within three years.
Continue reading "Ministry blasts delays in removing Eilat fish farms" »
August 12, 2007
see http://www.foeme.org/events.php?ind=42 for hot links below.
On August 12, 2007, The World Bank has scheduled a public hearing on the issue
of the Terms of Reference for the Feasibility Study of the "Red Dead Canal".
Continue reading "Red Dead Canal / World Bank Public Hearing" »
Haaretz
August 1, 2007
By Eli Ashkenazi
Interest in Lake Kinneret goes deeper and wider than its water level or its recreational aspects, as seen by Monday's seminar marking the establishment of the Authority for the Conservation of Lake Kinneret.
Continue reading "New authority seeks to conserve soil in Kinneret basin" »
Haaretz
August 2, 2007
By Haaretz Editorial
The many visitors to the Kinneret this summer are in for a disappointment. Most of the lake's shores are still surrounded by fences and an admission fee is charged. If this was not enough, entering some of the beaches is impossible because of pollution caused by raw sewage flowing into the water.
Haaretz
July 23, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
Residents in Arab and Jewish communities near the Hilazon Stream in the Galilee are fed up with its sewage problem. Last week, they decided to share their troubles with National Infrastructures Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, sending him a petition describing how fecal sewage flows undisturbed into the stream, endangering their children's health. They demanded that Ben-Eliezer order the national sewage authority to immediately address the problem.
Continue reading "Galilee residents make a stink about sewage problems" »
Arab Environmental Monitor
July 14, 2007
For the first time in its history, UNESCO World Heritage Programme had to take the bad decision of removing one site from its glamorous list of global natural wonders, and the site in question is an Arabian Oryx sanctuary in Oman.
Continue reading "A Negative Record: Arabian Oryx Sanctuary Removed from World Heritage List" »
Arab Environment Monitor
July 20, 2007
Batir Wardham
While thinking of which Arab sites can be nominated for the new 7 natural wonders campaign which has started right after the end of the New Seven Wonders competition which saw Petra as a winner, I was trtying to see how many Arab sites are actually inscribed in the official UNESCO World Natural Heritage List. I know they are not too much and I know that one site in Oman was deleted recently for failing to adhere to guidelines, but I have never thought the number will be only TWO sites.
Jordan Times
July 18, 2007
Yusuf Mansur
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is planning to build a water treatment plant less than two miles from the Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA). In spite of its perfect knowledge of the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) plan, the planned and already approved expansion of the airport and the opposition of the Ministry of Environment, the ministry seems adamant. Maybe there should be more communication among the government’s various branches.
The Jerusalem Post
Jul. 17, 2007
Ron Friedman
A series of "green" motions were passed in the Knesset on Tuesday, as part of a day dedicated to environmental causes.
In their attempt to make Israel a more environmentally-friendly country, "Green" lawmakers and activists decided to start from the top. The leaders of the Knesset Socio-Environmental caucus, together with environmental student organization "The Green Course," submitted a report to the Knesset providing practical proposals for making the country's governing body more environmentally conscientious.
Haaretz
July 19, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
The Water Commission warns of possible exposure to poisonous fumes that could spread from polluted land and water sources on sites planned for construction projects in the Dan region, which includes Tel Aviv and Givatayim. Such plans include the "City Project," located in a major commercial and industrial area in the Givatayim municipality, just south of the diamond exchange. The Water Commission has been running tests of the ground water and land pollution levels in the Dan region for the past three years.
Continue reading "Poisonous fumes threaten building plans in Dan region" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jul. 17, 2007
Etgar Lefkovits
A 5,500-dunam area of natural forest and park land on the periphery of Jerusalem will be designated as Emek Refaim Park and declared a "green area" where construction is forbidden, the municipality said this week.
Continue reading "Jerusalem to declare massive 'green area'" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jul. 19, 2007
RORY KRESS,
The mayors of Palestinian Baka a-Sharkiya (East Baka) and Israeli Baka al-Gharbiya (West Baka)-Jat signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to protect Wadi Abu Nar, a stream that runs through both municipalities.
Continue reading "Exclusive: Palestinian, Israeli mayors battle pollution" »
MA'AN
July 19, 2007
JERUSALEM, 19 July 2007 (IRIN) - Two mayors - one Israeli and one Palestinian - signed a joint declaration on 19 July agreeing to improve cooperation between their towns in water and waste management as well as conservation.
Jordan Times
June 13, 2007
Feynan Eco-lodge gets commendation as Best Overseas Tourism Project
The lodge at Wadi Feynan sits deep in the mountains of Jordan’s southern Rift Valley (Photo courtesy of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature)
By Linda Hindi
AMMAN — As Jordan advances in the global ecotourism sector, the Feynan Eco-lodge in the Dana Reserve has received an international commendation under the title “Best Overseas Tourism Project”.
Jerusalem Post
July 13, 2007
Shelly Paz
Israel ranks 31st out of 108 countries for environment and social responsibility according to a new international report.
The State of Responsible Competitiveness 2007 is a biennial report that sums up the conduct of private and public businesses in 108 countries and examines their achievements regarding encouraging environmental public policy and civilian involvement.
Continue reading "Report ranks Israel 31 in social and environmental responsibility" »
Arab Environmental Monitor
July 15, 2007
Batir Wardham
Sustainable buildings are wittnessing high growth and momentum in many countries around the world. The concept is pioneering and such buildings will include hundreds of eco-friendly innovations. The cost of installation and maintenance will always be high until it becomes economically feasible but the technology is there and that matters.
The Ecogeek blog, the world's leading blog for ecological innovations has published a list of the world's top 10 green skyscrapers based on a study by Jon Schroeder.
Continue reading "Study: The greenest skyscraper in the world is in Bahrain" »
Jerusalem Post
July 4, 2007
By Etgar Lefkovits
A Jerusalem court has renewed a ban on the opening of a major new thoroughfare in the capital until repairs are made to environmental and landscape damages caused by the paving of the road court documents released Tuesday show.
The Jerusalem District Court accepted an appeal late Monday that was filed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel which argued that required environmental work in and around the road has not been completed as required by law.
Continue reading "Court once again delays opening of Jerusalem highway" »
Haaretz
July 3, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
A new highway, aimed at substantially alleviating traffic congestion in the entrances to and exits from Jerusalem, will not open until repairs are made to environmental and landscape damages caused by the paving of the road.
The Jerusalem District Court on Monday received a petition, filed by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, seeking to prevent the highway from being opened.
Continue reading "J'lem highway opening delayed due to environmental damage" »
Jordan Times
July 2, 2007
Family planning saves women’s and children’s lives and improves the quality
of life for the family as a whole, according to the Population Reference
Bureau.
It is one of the most effective investments for helping to ensure the health
and well-being of women, children and communities, and is a key component of
quality reproductive health services.
Continue reading "Family planning as part of life planning" »
Arab Environmental Monitor
Monday, July 02, 2007
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.
Continue reading "Aqaba's Environmental Prospects 2007-2010" »
Israel 21c
July 08, 2007
DEMOCRACY
By Michelle Levine
They may come from worlds apart, but leading political and environmental figures from Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority have found a common theme to bring them together - the Great Rift Valley.
The Great Rift Valley is a series of geological rifts stretching 4,000 miles, from southern Turkey to Zimbabwe, running through Syria and Lebanon, along the Jordan River, the Dead Sea, the Gulf of Eilat and the Red Sea until Kenya, at which point it splits into two branches. Five hundred million birds use the valley route to migrate twice a year from Europe to Asia.
Continue reading "Environmental concerns bring Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians together" »
THE JERUSALEM POST
July 2, 2007
SHARON WROBEL
The government on Sunday agreed to increase the limit of Israel's desalinated water resources to 505 million cubic meters annually, as the country may be looking at a significant water shortage within the next 10 years.
"It has become clear around the world that we need to prepare for a situation of water shortage and Israel is no different and thus we need to adjust accordingly to rectify this situation," said National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who presented the proposal leading to the government's decision.
Continue reading "Gov't to desalinate more water to avert shortage" »
Haaretz
July 2, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
It will be difficult to meet projected water demand for 2008 if next winter's rainfall levels are similar to those of last winter, said the head of the Water Authority Council, Prof. Uri Shani.
Lecturing at the Hebrew University Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot last week, Shani warned that Israel's water problems will worsen significantly in the coming years unless the production of desalinated water rises sharply. The lecture was not intended for media coverage.
Continue reading "Water Authority chief warns of possible shortage in 2008" »
Jordan Times
June 27, 2007
Multimillion-dinar residential city named after Saudi Monarch
AMMAN (Petra) — A multimillion-dinar residential city will be built near Zarqa to tackle overcrowding and help citizens on low and limited incomes buy suitable housing.
The 70,000-unit project, to be built on 21,000 state-owned dunums, was announced at a Royal Court meeting attended by King Abdullah and Saudi King Abdullah, who concluded yesterday a key two-day visit to Jordan.
Jordan Times
June 27, 2007
AMMAN (JT) — The 2007 State of the World Population report, entitled
Unleashing the Potential of Urban Growth, will be officially launched worldwide today.
“In 2008, for the first time in history, more than half of world population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion. Most of the new urbanities will be poor… most cities will struggle to meet current needs,” according to the report, released by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.
Continue reading "2007 population report to be launched today" »
Jordan Times
June 28, 2007
By Linda Hindi, Jordan Times, Amman
AMMAN -- Jordan and other developing countries need to acknowledge and prepare for the inevitable surge in urban growth, which is expected to double by the year 2030, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The 2007 State of the World Population Report released on Wednesday warns governments to take immediate action before negative consequences outweigh positive potentials.
Continue reading "Speed, scale of urban growth unprecedented -- UNFPA" »
Haaretz
June 27, 2007
By Tahal Frosh
The failure to rehabilitate land once used by a military factory is costing the state $1 billion in revenues. A seriously polluted 450-dunam (110-acre) plot in Herzliya's Nof Yam neighborhood used to be the site of an Israel Military Industries plant, and the Israeli Union for Environmental Defense is sponsoring legislation to get it cleaned up. The "green" advocacy organization says the state could make about $1 billion in betterment tax on the land if it were to be cleared for construction, based on the local norm of $5 million per dunam. The organization also estimates Herzliya's lost tax revenues at NIS 21 million annually. Developers could see net profits of $900 million from construction at the site.
Continue reading "State delays rehab of severly polluted land, loses $1 billion tax revenue" »
THE JERUSALEM POST
Jun. 27, 2007
Sheera Claire Frenkel
Nature filled the Land of Israel with olive, cypress, tamarisk, acacia, and carob trees. Now, after years of planting pines in their place, the Jewish National Fund is replenishing the trees native to Israel's northern forests which were devastated by the Second Lebanon War.
Continue reading "War-ravaged northern forests get makeover" »
Haaretz
June 27, 2007
By Uri Blau
Last December, as part of the lesson-learning process in the wake of the Second Lebanon War, the Environment Ministry established a public committee chaired by Major General (Res.) Herzl Shafir to examine the preparedness of facilities containing hazardous substances in the north of the country for emergency situations. Initial and partial conclusions of the committee were made public, and seemed to be quite innocuous. Now it turns out that the true dynamite that turned up in the Shafir Committee's hearings remained classified. Haaretz has obtained the complete data about the dangers of the industrial plants in Haifa Bay, as it appears in the committee's internal documents.
Jordan Times
June 27, 2007
ByHani Hazaimeh, Jordan Times, Amman
AMMAN -- American Ambassador to Jordan David Hale on Tuesday awarded a total of JD133,000 in grants to 19 community-based organisations (CBOs) in Amman and Madaba in support of their water conservation efforts.
Funded by US Agency for International Development (USAID), the grants are part of the Community-Based Initiatives for Water Demand Management.
Continue reading " US supports water conservation efforts" »
Jordan Times
June 25, 2007
AMMAN (AFP) --
Eleven firms have qualified to submit a feasibility study to build a canal which would save the slowly evaporating Dead Sea by replenishing it with water from the Red Sea, an official said Monday.
The 25-year project to build a canal linking the two seas would also solve a severe water shortage in the region of Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian territories, officials said.
THE JERUSALEM POST
tamar lafontaine,
Jun. 21, 2007
The battle against the Safdie Plan, which called for building 20,000 housing units on 24,000 dunams in the hills west of Jerusalem, mobilized one of the largest coalitions of activists ever assembled in the city, comprising environmental, planning and social action groups as well as MKs, artists and intellectuals. The effort garnered more than 16,000 public objections, including that of Mayor Uri Lupolianski.
The scope of the opposition campaign, and the Safdie Plan's subsequent rejection by the National Planning Council in February of this year, renewed the public's confidence in its ability to effect change. It also raised questions about the efficacy of the planning process itself, which only involves the public at the objections stage, after a significant amount of time and money has already been spent developing a plan.
Jordan Times
By Khalid Neimat
AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) on Monday announced the second
phase of its Master Plan, termed the “Corridor Intensification Strategy.”
The Master Plan provides clear direction for the sustainable development of
the capital over the next 20 years, in accordance with new planning legislation.
Continue reading "GAM launches second phase of Master Plan" »
Arab Environmental Monitor
Source: Jordan Business
June 2007
By: Nina Robertson
When Khaled Bushnaq decided 16 years ago to set up a firm that would provide technical consultancy in the field of energy conservation, most people were more than a bit skeptical. Energy conservation was almost entirely unheard of in the Middle East, and businesses were certainly not factoring energy-saving measures into their budgets.
Ignoring the cynics, Mr. Bushnaq, along with a business associate, established Energy Management Services (EMS) in Jordan in 1991, with a paid-up capital of JD30,000. Two years later, the company received the Special Recognition Award at the 16th World Energy Congress in the U.S. Today, EMS capital is JD2 million and is the leading energy service company (ESCO) in the Middle East, providing its services to over 500 companies in Jordan and the region.
Continue reading "Turning Business Green: The experience of EMS Company in the Arab World" »
Jordan Times
Listing Jordan River among the top most endangered cultural heritage sites
in the world comes as no surprise.
The Friends of the Earth Middle East Society and the World Monument Fund,
the renowned international watchdog of cultural heritages worldwide, have
sounded the alarm about the inevitable demise of the river and showed what
protecting it from becoming altogether extinct entails.
YNET
Activists claim air pollution caused by waste management site of Ramat Hovav
will endanger lives of soldiers who will serve in new IDF compound
Dana Levy
Published: 06.24.07, 11:16 / Israel News
Environmental organizations continued their protest against the government's plan to build a "military town" south of Beersheba, which will house all of the IDF's training bases.
The town is set to be built only 10 kilometers away from the waste management facility of Ramat Hovav, which deals with large quantities of hazardous materials, and is responsible for a severe problem of air pollution in the region.
Continue reading "Green groups protest plan to build military town in Negev" »
THE JERUSALEM POST
June 14, 2007
RON FRIEDMAN
Jerusalem cleaned up at last week's Green Globe awards, held to honor leaders in environmental protection. The ceremony, organized by Life and Environment, an umbrella organization that includes over 95 groups, was held at the Duhl Center in Tel Aviv to celebrate World Environment Day, a UN initiative.
The Jerusalem Post
Jun. 14, 2007
Barry Davis
If you asked most Tel Aviv cyclists if they would consider wheeling their way from home to work (and possibly even do a little shopping) if they lived in Jerusalem, you would probably get a blank stare of incredulity in response.
"But what about all those hills?" is the general reaction.
Haaretz
June 12, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
Up until a year and a half ago, the vast majority of visitors to Canada Park, one of the most popular hiking and picnic sites on the way to Jerusalem, had no idea that the park was built on the ruins of three Palestinian villages whose inhabitants were forced to leave in the wake of the Six-Day War. It was only after the Keren Kayemet LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund agreed to the demands of the Zochrot non-governmental organization and posted signs in the park about two villages, Yalu and Emmaus, that their existence first became known to hikers. But since their posting, someone has already made sure to tear down one of the signs and vandalize the other.
Continue reading "Out of sight maybe, but not out of mind" »
Haaretz
June 13, 2007
By Ora Coren
Central Israel is studded with companies that store hazardous materials on site. Yet practically none have prepared for missile attack.
Continue reading "Companies with hazardous materials unprepared for missile attacks" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jun. 11, 2007
Etgar Lefkovits
Motorists to Jerusalem awaiting the much-touted opening of a major city road which is meant to alleviate the congestion at the entrance to the capital need to put brakes on their expectations of imminent traffic relief.
A Jerusalem court will hold another hearing later this month over the opening of the road, which has been held up by the court partly as a result of environmental concerns, officials said.
Continue reading "No light at end of tunnel for new Jerusalem road" »
Haaretz
June 12, 2007
By Avi Bar-Eli
The director general of the Transportation Ministry, Gideon Siterman, has said big cities may have to introduce a congestion charge to discourage drivers from using their own vehicles.
Continue reading "'Congestion charge' needed to boost public transport" »
Haaretz
June 5, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
A disaster not covered by any law or security framework and unrecognized by everyone - that is how a recent government policy paper described sinkholes in the Dead Sea basin. And according to a recently released report by the Geophysical Institute of Israel, the problem is only getting worse.
Continue reading "New sinkholes threaten roads around the Dead Sea" »
Haaretz
June 5, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
A disaster not covered by any law or security framework and unrecognized by everyone - that is how a recent government policy paper described sinkholes in the Dead Sea basin. And according to a recently released report by the Geophysical Institute of Israel, the problem is only getting worse.
Continue reading "New sinkholes threaten roads around the Dead Sea" »
The Jerusalem Post
Jun. 6, 2007
Talia Dekel
The European Union is working to promote more efficient usage of energy in the Middle East, which will in turn strengthen ties between Israel, Jordan and the EU, Ambassador Ramiro Cibrian said Tuesday.
The ambassador, who heads a permanent delegation of the European Commission in Israel, spoke at a conference aimed at turning sustainable energy into "a catalyst for regional economic development."
Continue reading "EU urges regional cooperation on energy use" »
Haaretz
June 5, 2007
By Dan Rabinowitz
Forty years after June 5, 1967, a variety of symposia, conferences and discussions are being held that stress the malignant effect of the occupation - on the Palestinians, of course, but also on morality, society, solidarity and politics in Israel. A few weeks ago, when those who have fond memories of 1967 tried to celebrate what they call "the reunification of Jerusalem," the result was a limp demonstration of nostalgic blasts on trumpets. It is good that this week, sane, critical voices are being heard. This will help many people to identify, in anger and anxiety, the depressing future that the occupation is passing down to us for years to come as well.
Jordan Times
June 6, 2007
AMMAN -- A regional forum on local water governance entitled, "Water is everybody's business" opens today.
The Euro-Med Participatory Water Resources Scenarios (EMPOWERS) Partnership, supported by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, is holding the forum under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah.
The Jerusalem Post
May. 31, 2007
Gil Zohar
Jerusalem's reputation for the ludicrous was enhanced on May 20, when Jerusalem District Court ruled against the opening of a new expressway that was planned to relieve the perpetual traffic jam at the entrance to the capital. As reported in In Jerusalem ("Warning: Construction ahead," May 18), the road was scheduled to open on May 21.
The Jerusalem
May. 30, 2007
YORAM DORI
It is said of Israel that she is a mini-cosmos. A country of immigrants hailing from more than 120 countries: fair-skinned and dark-skinned, Chinese and Indian, haredim and atheists. An 80 percent Jewish majority that lives alongside an Arab minority, mostly Muslims, an island in an Islamic sea in the throes of a power struggle between Shi'ite and Sunni hegemony, and counting a population of 7 million spread over an area (sovereign Israel) that measures a mere 20,770 kilometers.
Avoiding a Water Crisis
asharq alawsat
May 19, 2007
Hussein Shobokshi
With the growing number of reports and books confirming the words of political experts and strategic analysts that the next war in the Middle East will be fought over water and water resources, it is extraordinary that another type of war is actually being fought now.
The Daily Star
May 28, 2007
An israeli attack caused the disaster, but environmentalists say Lebanese inaction made it worse
By Dona Challita
Special to The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Several forms of pollutants have fouled the sea off Lebanon for decades, including industrial effluents, untreated sewage and runoff from coastal garbage dumps. As though this were not enough, an Israeli attack during the war last summer added another hazardous element to the mix when the destruction of the storage tanks at the jiyyeh power plant south of Beirut released an estimated 15,000 tons of fuel oil into the Mediterranean.
Continue reading "Critics flay official response to Jiyyeh spill" »
Jordan Times
May 26, 2007
Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit and members of the Cabinet attend a meeting at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation on Thursday (Petra photo)
AMMAN (Petra) — The Ministry of Water and Irrigation is exerting efforts to reduce the ratio of lost water in the Kingdom, which currently stands at 42 per cent, by 3 per cent each year.
Continue reading "Ministry working to reduce ratio of lost water" »
Jordan Times
May 26, 2007
AMMAN (JT) — The UNESCO Amman office, in collaboration with the Swedish-based NGO Life-Link Friendship-Schools (www.life-link.org), brought together school teachers from different countries in the region in a two-day workshop this week.
Continue reading "Conference involves schools in environmental programmes" »
Haaretz
May 8, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
Last week the future of the mineral water plant next to the Ein Gedi nature reserve was ensured. The Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) signed an agreement with Kibbutz Ein Gedi, one of the owners of the plant, to make it possible for the kibbutz to use a large quantity of the water from the springs. In return, the kibbutz will supply the nature reserve with flood water that it pumps from the slopes of the streams in the region.
Haaretz
March 8, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
To this day, Israel has not managed to follow in the footsteps of countries like Japan or the United States in constructing buildings and various infrastructures that can withstand powerful earthquakes. Geologists are currently presenting the National Infrastructures Ministry with a study on a sophisticated system that - while not preventing destruction - may help the civilian population reach safety during an earthquake and aid the public and private sectors to institute functioning emergency systems and essential infrastructures.
Jordan Times
March 9, 2007
Khalid Neimat
AMMAN -- The American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) in Jordan has called on the private sector to support the Amman Master Plan, announced by the Greater Amman Municipality's (GAM) last month.
"We will prop up the plan internally and globally to attract foreign investments," AmCham-Jordan Chairman Azzam Shweihat said.
Jordan Times
March 1, 2007
Mohammad Ghazal, , Amman
AMMAN -- The Ministry of Environment on Wednesday proposed an alternate location for the construction of the JD100 million tourist complex in Dibbeen.
"The ministry suggested the new site due to many reasons, mainly because it believes that implementing the project in the new site will cause no environmental damage to Dibbeen Forest," Minister of Environment Khalid Irani told The Jordan Times yesterday.
Continue reading " Environment Ministry proposes alternate location for Dibbeen tourism complex" »
Haaretz
March 8, 2007
By Pe'er Visner
It's just like Israel to take a great idea and execute it badly, wasting taxpayers' money and even putting lives at risk.
That's the case regarding the idea of levying congestion tax on travelers using the Ayalon Freeway, to reduce traffic in Tel Aviv.
The Jerusalem Post
Mar. 1, 2007
ryan nadel
One p.m. at the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall. A choir of Chinese Christians serenely sings hymns as a bearded man hocks tefillin to passersby. Just meters away, a self-declared prophet preaches redemption and a steady stream of shoppers stroll by without taking note.
Welcome to Jerusalem's city center.
Haaretz
March 1, 2007
By Avi Bar-Eli
All month a private consultancy has been assessing the possibility of imposing congestion charges to ease traffic in Tel Aviv.
Transportation engineers, academics, economists, pollsters and other professionals at the consultancy recently completed a survey of congestion charge implementation around the world and have begun to think of a plan for Israel.
Continue reading "Tel Aviv mulling London-style congestion fees" »
The Daily Star
March 02, 2007
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
CHOUF: Administrators of the Chouf Cedars Nature Reserve have struck a deal with local goatherds in an effort to protect the area's vegetation. Grazing will now be conducted outside the reserve and according to strict schedules and in specific regions, in an attempt to prevent deforestation and limit notorious and all-too-frequent brush fires.
Continue reading "Chouf Cedars Reserve teams up with goats and their masters to protect greenery" »
Al Jazeera English
March 1, 2007
By Nour Odeh in Gaza
Sewage runs through the streets of Gaza
The Gaza Strip is the most densely populated piece of land in the world but it has had little or no investment in infrastructure for years, and the situation has worsened since sanctions were imposed last year.
Jordan Times
Feb. 28, 2007
AMMAN -- The Greek government is to contribute $1 million for the feasibility study of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Project.
Ambassador of Greece to Jordan Troyphon Parakevopolos on Tuesday submitted a letter from Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Evripidis Stylianidis to Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali, affirming his government's commitment in this regard.
Continue reading "Greece to co-finance feasibility study for Dead-Red project" »
The Daily Star
February 26, 2007
State inaction allows industry to imperil water resources and depress property values
By Hani M. Bathish
Special to The Daily Star
BEIRUT: Some of Lebanon's most picturesque areas bear the unsightly scars of quarrying, a frequent visual reminder of what can happen when the state consistently fails to regulate an industry whose work has so much potential for far-reaching side-effects. But the damage is more than skin-deep: The quarry industry's de facto freedom to act as it sees fit also contributes to a variety of economic, environmental and public-health problems whose impacts are no less damaging for their lower visibility.
Continue reading "Quarries do damage you can see - and some you can't" »
The Daily Star
February 24, 2007
By Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star correspondent
CHOUF: Chouf residents and officials staged a rally on Friday to protest waste shipments to the region from Beirut, vowing not to accommodate the unwanted garbage and to escalate their campaign until the transfers stop. "We refuse to see our region transformed into a waste dump," said Ktar Matta Mayor Mohammad Najib Hassan at a rally in Sibline, where garbage from the Normandy landfill in Beirut is being dumped.
Continue reading "Chouf residents protest waste shipments from Beirut" »
Haaretz
February 26, 2007
By Zafrir Rinat
The government of Israel lined its pockets with plenty of cash last week through the privatization of the Haifa-based Oil Refineries and also ensured handsome revenues for the new controlling shareholders. The calculation of monetary profit has already been made, but another calculation - environmental and health - remains unresolved.
Haaretz
February 27, 2007
By Mijal Grinberg and Tzafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondents
Representatives of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Society for the Preservation of Nature said Tuesday they would battle against plans to establish new communities in the northern Negev for families evacuated from the Gaza Strip.
Continue reading "Green agencies oppose construction for Gaza evacuees" »
Haaretz
Updated March 1, 2007
By Haaretz Editorial
The theft of private land and lawless construction, with the authorities' collaboration, have long been routine in the land of the settlers. The scope of these deeds and their seriousness are described extensively in the report on illegal outposts compiled by Talia Sasson, formerly a senior state prosecution attorney. The report was buried almost two years ago.
Jordan Times
February 22, 2007
AMMAN (Petra) — His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday reiterated the importance of the land use plan, part of the Amman Master Plan prepared by the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM).
Continue reading "King reiterates importance of land use plan" »
Haaretz
February 20, 2007
By Tzafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
The Israel Defense Forces has begun planning a town in the Negev that will accommodate several army training camps currently located in the center of Israel, Haaretz has learned.
The town will be erected in the northern Negev, some ten kilometers south of the Ramat Hovav industrial zone. IDF planners received the go-ahead after the Ministry of the Environment and Ramat Hovav factories reached a settlement agreement on the treatment of environmental hazards, which delayed the army's final decision on whether to build the town.
Continue reading "IDF begins mobilizing on 'training camp' town in Negev" »
Haaretz
February 14, 2007
By Avi Issacharoff and Aluf Benn
A group of Palestinian entrepreneurs yesterday presented plans to create a new Palestinian city in the West Bank, located between Ramallah and Nablus.
The group, headed by businessman Abd al-Malik Jabbar, presented its plan to Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. officials during an economic conference at the home of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones.
Continue reading "Palestinian Authority proposes building new city in West Bank" »
The Jerusalem Post
Feb. 22, 2007
LEAH GRANOF, THE JERUSALEM POST
A single snapshot could capture the entire settlement of Haruv's long row of temporary houses built on a solitary street. But that picture would hardly encapsulate the essence of this community, 20 kilometers east of Kiryat Gat. Located next to the agricultural community of Shekef, Haruv's one street, adorned with playgrounds at each end and dogs cavorting with unabashed freedom, is only a temporary stopover for the community of 35 families awaiting construction of a permanent location atop the green hills two kilometers away.
Arab Environment Monitor
February 17, 2007
By: Batir Wardam
Planning and policy formulation in Jordan prior to the 1990s was based on a sector-specific approach with little consideration for environmental concerns. It can be said that environmental planning and policy formulation came to age in 1991 when the National Environmental Strategy (NES) was formulated by a national consultation process led by the Ministry of Municipal, Rural Affairs and the Environment with the technical assistance from IUCN and financial assistance from USAID.
Continue reading "History of Environmental Policies in Jordan" »
Jordan Times
By Hana Namrouqa
AMMAN — The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) has transformed an old British military field hospital in Azraq into an eco-lodge.
Continue reading "Azraq eco-lodge offers history and local flavours" »
Arab Environment Monitor
February 20, 2007
By Daniel Zimmer- World Water Council Executive Director
The Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources signed an agreement with the World Water Council in Ankara recently to host the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul, that takes place in March 2009.
Haaretz / Jordan Times
February 15, 2007
By Margaret Beckett
[listserve note: published in both Jordan Times and Haaretz, unusual for the region]
All too often the news is dominated by conflict and disagreement. Then a threat of such magnitude comes along that it forcefully reminds us of our common humanity - in other words just how much all of us, whatever our background, creed or colour hold in common. For our generation that threat is climate change.
Haaretz
Last Update: February 24, 2007
By Esther Zandberg
Apart from any other implications, the affair of the new Mugrabi bridge is an extreme example of the dark and covert way in which Israel's professional and political planning world conducts itself. This case is neither an exception nor a surprise. This is how the sector has conducted matters for years - as if it were the government's secret service. It is no secret that planning is conducted under a veil of total secrecy. Very few things filter out to the general public in an orderly fashion - and when they become known, it is often too late to do anything. The difference is that this time the affair did not merely leak out, it burst out with a resounding blast.
Continue reading "The architectural conspiracy of silence" »
Haaretz
By Sharon Kedmi
The momentum of the past few years in the laying of infrastructures, to the
unprecedented tune of tens of billions of shekels, has gradually turned Israel
into an effectively smaller and even more accessible country than it was
previously. Hundreds of kilometers of train lines have been laid, connecting
one town to another. En route, they often cross through open areas and have a
detrimental effect on the surroundings. How can the balance therefore be found
between the immense investments in infrastructure and the maintenance of the
values of nature and scenery that some will contend are no less vital to the
common weal than train lines?
That was one of the central questions under discussion last week at a conference
on nature preservation in the face of infrastructure investment, which took
place at Tel Aviv University.
An example of this dilemma is the public argument over the future of the express
train line to Jerusalem, A1, which is destined to cut across nature preserves,
according to Alona Shefer-Karo, the director of Life and Environment, the
umbrella group for the country's non-governmental environmental organizations.
She says that the environmental groups have for years been calling for massive
investments in a rail line to Jerusalem, but today are pondering whether the
ecological price that will be paid for the line's development is not too high.
Many times, she says, there is internal disagreement among the
environmentalists about the order of priorities.
Yeshayahu Ronen, who is in charge of transportation planning in the
Transportation Ministry, says there is no point in claiming that train lines do
not cause harm to the surroundings, but argues that in view of the alternatives,
the lines are the lesser of the evils. Ronen says: "The efforts in this respect
must be focused on finding the right formula, and not on presenting the train
as the enemy of the environment."
One of the most decisive views was expressed by Prof. Eran Feitelson from the
Hebrew University's Federmann School of Public Policy and Government. He said
that the train, like any other form of transportation, is not an end in itself
but rather a means for furthering social objectives. The questions that need to
be asked are what objectives the train is supposed to further, and how these
objectives will be integrated with the objective of preserving nature.
The extent to which railway lines harm nature is not uniform, but rather varies
from line to line. The most problematic lines are those that run through
relatively open landscapes. Therefore the most troublesome lines are those in
the peripheral areas: Beit She'an, the line to Carmiel, the line between
Ashkelon and Be'er Sheva, the Eilat line, and to a lesser extent the new line
to Jerusalem - even though these are the lines which, on the face of it, could
open up new opportunities for the periphery. Projects in which additional lines
are added in parallel to existing lines, like most projects in the center of the
country, are from this point of view less problematic.
>From the point of view of intra-generational equality, the question must be
asked whether the train benefits weaker populations or weaker areas, and if so,
if it is the most effective tool for doing so. As a general rule, the train is
not a cheap means of travel and for the most part it is possible to supply
cheaper means of public transport. In this respect, travel by bus on parallel
lines, such as the route to Be'er Sheva, costs less than the same ride on a
train. This means that the train serves the middle class principally, the
weaker sectors less, with the exception being soldiers, who travel for free.
Feitelson says that Israel is currently investing many billions in a system
whose effectiveness has not been sufficiently tested. On the other hand, it is
possible to determine its effect on nature relatively easily. He believes there
should be a moratorium on additional investments in the more troublesome lines,
in terms of natural resources, until a detailed feasibility study that examines
the effect on the environment is carried out, with the participation of external
experts.
Hanoch Tsoref, who is administers the railway project on behalf of the Jewish
National Fund, says that experience of many years has taught that correct
planning, including with regard to the environmental issues, cuts down on
building time in the long run, and reduces both costs and damage to the
surroundings. Correct planning, not merely with regard to the Jerusalem line,
can be carried out in a short time.
Today, since many billions have been allocated to Israel Railways for immediate
work, there is pressure to start the work even before the necessary planning
stages have been completed.
Surprisingly, the voice of the government office in charge of protecting the
environment has hardly been heard. According to Ephraim Schlein, who heads the
planning division in the Environmental Protection Ministry, the infrastructure
development for railway lines has been accompanied by constant improvement of
the attitude of the planners to environmental considerations.
The upgrading of the Nahal Soreq line, in the area between Beit Shemesh and
Jerusalem, was a good lesson, he says, in a move that did not internalize the
aspects of nature preservation in the planning stages, but today the situation
has changed. "If a few years ago, Israel Railways regarded demands about nature
and the environment with amazement," he says, "today demands for alternatives to
the route, made at an early stage in planning, on the basis of considerations of
nature and environment, are part of the planning process. The landscape aspect
is examined in a professional manner when the lines are being planned."
Environment party says political parties take money to turn a blind eye
By Hani M. Bathish and Maher Zeineddine
Daily Star staff
Friday, January 19, 2007
BEIRUT: The numerous unregulated sand and rock quarries dotting Lebanon's
picturesque landscape make up the single largest local source of income for
many political parties, according to Habib Maalouf, head of the Lebanese
Environmental Party. Many politicians themselves own quarries, he says.
Maalouf told The Daily Star that, aside from the inestimable environmental
damage that results from quarry activity, the Treasury loses around $500,000 of
potential revenue per day due to a lack of licensing and regulation of the
mining sector, with all of the earnings from mining going into private pockets.
Thus, unlicensed and unregulated work continues unabated as politicians turn a
blind eye.
Maalouf said each rock or sand quarry makes an estimated $80,000 per day.
"They continue to make astronomical profits as a result of the lack of
regulation and organization, which has denied the Treasury billions of dollars
of potential revenue," he added.
The party's estimates put the amount of lost revenue over the last 15 years at
$2.5 billion.
A Cabinet decision issued on January 4 extended a six-month grace period to
quarry owners, allowing them to continue mining until June 30.
A statement issued by the Environment Party Thursday called for an investigation
into the quarry file due to the Environment Ministry's failure to regulate the
sector, and in view of the "historic" accusations of complicity leveled against
the [ministry's] administration.
Repeated attempts to contact Environment Ministry officials were unsuccessful.
The Environment Party statement said the Cabinet had once more failed to specify
where quarries were forbidden and where they were permitted, lamenting "another
lost opportunity" to regulate the sector.
Maalouf said successive governments had ducked the licensing issue over the past
15 years, each government extending the previous "administrative" grace period
allowing quarries to continue operating unabated.
"No one knows exactly how many rock and sand quarries there really are in
Lebanon," he said. "Estimates range between 300 and 400, but there are no
accurate statistics."
"Some quarries operate under the guise of a land survey. Others, known as roving
quarries, excavate new roads and conduct quarrying as part of road-excavation
activities," Maalouf added.
The Environment Party accused the Cabinet of ignoring the role of the
Environment Ministry and its guidelines concerning quarries. "The Cabinet's and
the interior minister's decision only serves to prolong this chaotic situation,"
Maalouf said.
Instead of drafting legislation for the sector, in addition to implementing
licensing and operating fees to generate income, the Treasury allows quarries
to operate free of any official regulation or concern for environmental
standards, he added.
Maalouf said the most recent Cabinet decision merely refers the file of each
"investor" to the "concerned section at the Internal Security Forces," which
then must conduct a survey and evaluate each quarry individually.
Such studies must be carried out by qualified technicians and geologists, "which
we doubt are available at the Interior Ministry," the party statement added.
A study conducted in 1996 to organize quarries and establish technical and
environmental standards identified permissible locations for mining and
determined the national demand for stone. Political bickering has prevented the
plan from being implemented.
In 2005, a controversial judicial decision ordered the state to pay $250 million
in compensation to MP Nicholas Fattoush's family for having shut down their
quarries.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=78747
By Haaretz Service
The awarding of the Tel Aviv light rail tender to the MTS group, headed by
Africa Israel, ostensibly heralds a new age of transportation. In practice, the
company faces many obstacles. Above all, it will have to prove - possibly in
court - that the massive tunneling that its construction method entails will
not damage groundwater resources. Afterward, it will have to cope with the
planning agencies of five different local authorities and the challenges of
funding a complex project. At the same time, it will be forced to prove that
its passenger cars are suitable. Construction will take several years, during
which time the region's main traffic arteries will be adversely affected.
Despite these difficulties, we welcome the fact that the plan for the mass
transit project has finally been launched. The plan, which began when Golda
Meir was prime minister, was revived and given priority during Yitzhak Rabin's
term and was shepherded through the advanced planning stages by then finance
minister Avraham Shochat.
The plan, which was developed by Metropolitan Mass Transit System (NTA),
formerly the Tel Aviv Rail Administration, presents a much greater challenge.
At first, there was talk of building a subway similar to those operating in
cities around the world. The advantages of this type of system include
unlimited right of way (underground routes that avoid above-ground traffic
signals, jams and other vehicles), large passenger capacity (due to size,
speed, closely-spaced stations and high frequency of travel), and minimum
environmental impact.
After Rabin's murder in 1995 and the political changes it engendered, all
successive Israeli governments have been wary of spending the enormous amount
required to build a subway. Africa Israel is now taking on a patchwork,
compromise project: a train that will run only partially underground - and,
unusually, not in the city center but rather in intercity stretches. Most of
the train's route will be on the surface, where it will not have the benefits
of speed, high capacity or the right of way.
For now, only the project's Red Line, connecting Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Ramat
Gan and Jaffa-Tel Aviv, to Bat Yam, has been approved. This will reduce road
traffic but is not part of the future traffic network (which remains undefined)
and does not offer a solution to transport in the center of Tel Aviv.
An effective transit system is critical in Tel Aviv, to open up the traffic
blockages that exact a high economic price in Israel's urban center. Following
the impressive development of Israel Railways, ridership has increased from 4
million to 20 million passengers a year in the past eight years. Car owners
have willingly left their cars behind. It is not too late for Tel Aviv. There
is still time to consider building a subway, and to plan a multi-branch
underground system whose speed and convenience will encourage more people to
give up their cars within the city as well. The underground rail system could
still change from being merely a means of transport into the agent of historic,
transportational and economic change.
Jordan Times
By Cheryl Haines
AMMAN — With the finalised terms of reference (TOR) for the Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) of the proposed Dibbeen tourism complex still pending, concern
about the joint Jordan Dubai Capital (JDC) and Social Security Corporation
(SSC) venture remains strong within the Kingdom’s environmental circles.
The environmental consulting agency ECO Consult is due to issue the EIA in the
next two months.
The report will signal whether construction on the JD100 million project can
begin in the forest located in the Jerash Governorate.
Environmentalists fear the ecological ramifications of the proposed 500-dunum
tourism complex will wreak havoc in one of country’s few remaining forests.
“Small and isolated patches of habitat have lower diversity than larger patches.
Major disturbances within a small habitat patch, like the tourist project in
Dibbeen, will definitely have a negative impact on natural processes and
biodiversity,” Fares Khoury, a professor in the department of biological
sciences at Hashemite University, told The Jordan Times.
“Less than one per cent of Jordan’s total area harbours natural woodland… This
forest habitat is important for a number of plants, including rare trees
species, orchids and animals, including a few bird species of national
conservation importance,” Khoury added, emphasising the ecological fragility of
area.
According to a bylaw within the Ministry of Environment’s environmental
protection act, a positive EIA is required before construction begins.
It is, however, theoretically illegal to build on any of the Kingdom’s natural
reserves although the Ministry of Agriculture has the last say on whether
construction on any patch of land goes through.
The proposed site for the Dibbeen tourism complex lies adjacent to the Dibbeen
Reserve.
“Roads and networks for water and sewage have to be established, thus it is
expected that the construction will go through and affect the surrounding
reserve,” Khoury added.
When JDC and the investment unit of the SSC announced the Dibbeen project last
May, a memorandum of understanding signed between the two parties included a
cooperative agreement with the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
(RSCN) and the Jordan River Foundation (JRF).
According to the memorandum, upon the issuance of a positive EIA, the RSCN will
provide JDC with consultations and methods to aid in the preservation of the
surrounding natural habitat.
The JRF will contribute by facilitating training programmes for citizens in the
area to help prepare them for job opportunities within the tourist complex.
“We understand the sensitivity of the area in Dibbeen,” JDC CEO Samir Rifai,
stressed.
“We will work closely with the RSCN and other organisations to forego damage to
the surrounding environment,” he told The Jordan Times
Part of the EIA’s stipulation is to ensure that the construction is carried out
within the confines of the Kingdom’s environmental regulations.
Commenting on the natural and historical richness of the northern part of the
country, Rifai noted the visible absence of 5-star hotels and lack of a
veritable tourism infrastructure in the Jerash Governorate.
“The Dibbeen location was chosen because of the natural beauty of the
surrounding area,” Rifai explained, adding that the north of Jordan is among
the least economically developed areas in the country.
The forest is the most southerly natural pine forest in the world.
JDC Capital was established in May 2005 with the vision of developing projects
in the country’s less-developed areas to aid in the creation of job
opportunities, increase shareholder value of privately-owned land, and the flow
of tourists to these areas.
The proposed site is owned by the SSC and they have an interest in bringing
investment to the land to help benefit the corporation’s shareholders, Rifai
noted.
ECO Consult’s TOR was presented at a scoping session in December attended by
JDC, SSC, the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture and several environmental
organisations including the RSCN and the Jordan Environment Society (JES).
The document includes specifications relating to the EIA, whereby the methods of
site analysis, qualifications of those involved and environmental regulations
are detailed and submitted to the ministry.
The scoping session was intended to iron out the TOR, but it failed to produce a
consensus among attendees and the ministry is still awaiting the finalised
document.
“The TOR was focused on the social side of the project, noting that young people
in the area will be introduced to more employment opportunities,” JES President
Mohammad Masalha told The Jordan Times, adding that the EIA should be a
technical and scientific document. “This project will never be sustainable. The
trees in this area are over 300 years old with diverse systems of ecology and a
place for Jordanian wildlife for hundred of years,” he said.
The Environment Ministry is waiting for the outcome of the EIA until they take
an official standpoint on the tourism complex.
“JDC approached us about wanting to begin a project in Dibbeen several months
ago. It is legally required that they submit to an EIA to determine the
immediate impact the complex would have in the area… Our official view is
dependent upon the assessment,” Ahmad Qatarneh, acting secretary general of the
ministry told The Jordan Times.
Meanwhile, Khalid Nasser, president of the Jordan Society for Sustainable
Development, fears that if the tourism complex goes through it will clear the
way for further construction in the country’s other environmental hotspots.
“My concern is not only for the Dibbeen forest, I am also concerned about Ajloun
and other natural forests in Jerash and Irbid. If we open the door for such
investment we don’t have the right to turn down other investors from building
elsewhere in the future.”
JDC’s consultation with the RSCN resulted in the initial design plans being
downsized. The project started with three hotels and nearly 600 chalets, but
was reconfigured and now includes one hotel and 200 chalets within the tourism
complex.
“We understand we have a responsibility. If we are not at one with nature, this
project will not fly,” Rifai emphasised, adding that the well-being of the
surrounding habitat is pivotal in attracting tourists to the complex.
Eight per cent of the total 125 acres (500 dunums) that encompasses the entire
complex will be directly affected by the construction — 160 trees will be cut
down, out of a total of over 9,000 calculated after a topographic study was
conducted in cooperation with the RSCN.
With the finalised terms to completed in the coming weeks, the debate remains
caught in between the social benefits of private investment versus the
ecological implications.
Acknowledging the benefit of creating jobs and bringing tourists to experience
Jordan’s natural habitats, RSCN Acting Director General Yayha Khalid
emphasised: “Our main concern is to ensure the ecological integrity of the
area.”
Haaretz
08.1.07 | 13:47 By Tzipi Iser-Itzik
How do you advance a project as complicated and grandiose, as expensive and
intricate, as building a canal between two seas? It's an issue that keeps
popping up in the public debate and then disappearing again because it's so
terrifically unfeasible .
First of all give it a name that can't be resisted, like "Peace Conduit". Once
it's become synonymous in international circles with regional amity, who the
hell cares if it's economically and environmentally feasible?
Yet so many formulas for peace have come and gone in the annals of history that
caution is warranted. Before starting any project, let alone one on which peace
in the Middle East is supposed to depend, one should check in advance if it's
sustainable.
Building a canal between the Red Sea and the Dead one, while blithely ignoring
the tremendous potential damage it could wreak on the water sources and ecology
of the Bay of Eilat and the Arava, could prove to be an incompetence that will
bear an enormous cost.
If risks are not evaluated ahead of time, we may find ourselves in a dreadful
situation whose solution is bad.
How? The canal is supposed to save the Dead Sea from drying up once and for all,
by pumping 1.5 billion cubic meters of water a year, which is 3 times the amount
of water transported through the National Conduit, from the Red Sea.
Is it even possible?
The Arava valley has aquifers of sweet and brackish water, that serve for
drinking and agriculture. Leaks of briny water from the canal could salinate
the water sources. Is this not a risk that should be addressed in advance?
There are plenty of other examples.
How will pumping hundreds of cubic meters of seawater affect Eilat's ecology?
The project calls for hundreds of "fish cages", for farmed fish, to be built
along the canal. These could poison the regional water supply through leaks.
The plan calls for a desalination plant to be erected, using water that drops
from the heights to 400 meters below sea level (which is how low the Dead Sea
is). But from there, the water has to be propelled 800 meters upward: how will
this effect the environment?
The seas in question sit right smack in the crack of the Great Rift Valley, that
splits the earth from southern Africa up to Syria. The entire area is prone to
earthquakes. A bad quake could badly damage the infrastructure, leaving to
potentially grave environmental damage if the canal is ruined; this too
warrants examination in advance.
Perhaps for a change, given the vastness of the project, we should replace the
empty slogans with actual thought about how to create a project sustainable for
generations.
The author is the executive director of the Israel Union for Environmental
Defense, known locally as Adam, Teva V'Din.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ArticleContent.jhtml?itemNo=810860
By Mohammed Zaatari
Daily Star staff
Thursday, January 11, 2007
NABATIEH: The head of the Confederation of Municipalities Union in Shqif on
Wednesday warned residents of villages in the Nabatieh area against piling
their garbage in the street following the closure of the Arnoun dump. The dump,
closed at the end of 2006, was notorious for receiving 100 tons of waste a day.
Serious environmental concerns had been raised due to the dump being
precariously perched atop a hill next to the Khardali River.
"We closed the dump because it is harmful [to the environment] ... I warned
mayors of 28 villages and towns two months ago of its dangers and asked them
not to throw garbage there by the end of 2006," Samih Halal told The Daily
Star.
Halal urged the government in Beirut to find alternative means of disposal for
the region's waste.
"The state should find a location where Shqif's municipalities could bury their
waste," he said. "Otherwise it should set up a waste-separation plant."
"The most important point today is to deal with the current situation after the
dump was closed," he added. "Piles of waste have started to appear in Nabatieh
and the surrounding areas due to a lack of dumps."
Acting Arnoun Mayor Rafik Hamdan said the decision to close the area dump was
made after repeated charges of negligence were leveled against the disposal
company responsible for waste collection in the area.
"The dump caught fire many times and the company was totally careless," Hamdan
said.
Environmental studies recently conducted in Arnoun said the location of the dump
was "inappropriate," he added.
"The dump is close to the Khardali River, which made the municipality of Arnoun
file a lawsuit against the [waste disposal] company," the acting mayor said.
"We have had enough of bearing the trash of around 30 villages for the past
four years."
Haaretz
By Zafrir Rinat, Haaretz Correspondent
Defense Minister Amir Peretz has called for a halt in the construction of a
section of the separation fence routed to run through the Judean Desert, until
conclusive research about the environmental impacts of the fence can be done.
Peretz's decision comes after head of the Labor faction in the Knesset, Yoram
Marciano, requested that Peretz assess the possibility of changing the route of
the fence in order to avoid the expected negative impact it would have on the
views and nature of the area.
Recently, environmentalists and settlers have launched joint efforts in nature
preserves and settlements in the area of Hebron mountain to stop the
construction of the fence within the Judean Desert, which they maintain will
cause great harm to the ecology and aesthetics of the region.
Mount Hebron Regional Council Chairman Tzvika Bar-Chai recently met with
official from the Israel Defense Forces' Central Command in an attempt to
persuade them to reroute that section of the fence, or to cancel its
construction altogether.
Bar-Chai enlisted the support of one of the founders of the Israeli conservation
movement, Ezriya Alon, who in turn contacted GOC Central Command Yair Naveh.
"The essence of the Judean Desert is wholly unique in all of Israel. The fence
will amputate the desert and destroy its vistas and appeal for backpackers and
tourists, dealing a severe blow to the living world," Alon said in his
statement to Naveh.
Dr. Yossi Lashem, former general secretary of the Society for the Protection of
Nature in Israel and one of the country's foremost aviary researchers, sent a
letter on Wednesday to IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz and Defense Department
General Secretary Gabi Ashkenazi. In the letter, Lashem warned that the planned
route of the fence would prevent animals from moving freely and would destroy
food access for birds of prey.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/811440.html
(From: Stuart Schoenfeld)
Subject: Jordan Times
Amman’s ‘Green Lung’ nearly complete Jordan Times
By Cheryl Haines
AMMAN — The long-awaited Children’s Museum will be the latest and last
instalment at the widely popular King Hussein Park.
The museum, an initiative of Her Majesty Queen Rania, is the first interactive
and educational institution of its kind in the country, seeking to encourage
exploration and understanding of local culture, science, technology and
industry, through innovative and educational multimedia resources and
programmes through its 150 hands-on exhibits.
Set to open in December, the Children’s Museum lives up to the original vision
of the park, when it opened in 2001.
“The facilities at the park were created through five different goals...
cultural, sport, educational, recreational and environmental,” Munther Al
Saleh, the project director, told The Jordan Times.
Noting that the majority of the park’s visitors on weekends are families, Saleh
said it was “important for people in Amman to have a ‘green space,’ and an
unobstructed area to enjoy with their children.”
Many of the families hail from east Amman, where outdoor areas conducive to
child’s play are few and far between, according to Saleh.
The project director envisions the park as the “Green Lung of Amman.”
“The park is open year-round and children are free to enjoy all of our
facilities. Here children can play and run free. There are no hazards of cars,”
said Saleh, who estimated that the park receives 15,000 visitors on summer
weekends.
Once the museum opens, children who enjoy the park’s open spaces will be able to
benefit from its educational and entertainment displays, including interactive
astronomy and anatomy exhibits.
The park also features security personnel and the Children’s Museum will employ
supervisory staff to help monitor the large groups of children from nearby
schools expected to visit when it opens.
Raja Gargour, director of the Royal Automobile Museum, which is located in the
western part of the facility, sees the museum’s popularity as testament to how
much open areas and parks for children are needed in Amman.
“Spaces of educational impact for youth are in much demand in Jordan,” Gargour
explained.
The Royal Automobile Museum, he added, strives to be a centre of both
educational and cultural significance, combining the late King Hussein’s
much-loved car collection with interactive media presentations and historical
displays.
An American Cadillac, currently on loan to the US, was a gift to King Hussein
from US president Eisenhower. The exhibits tell of “the longevity of King
Hussein’s reign and the good relations he had with many presidents in that
period,” Gargour explained.
Every summer the Royal Automobile Museums puts on a Wire Car Competition where
local youths are placed in teams and encouraged to construct the body of an
actual car using only basic materials.
Gargour emphasised the importance of the annual competitions, noting the skills
the young people must employ as they construct their cars: Teamwork,
leadership, and critical analysis.
While the younger generation gravitate towards the playgrounds and football
fields, the park also offers a variety of facilities for all ages.
Saleh noted that Friday afternoon visitors tend to be families and younger
people, while on weekdays older visitors come to experience the park’s cultural
centres.
The Cultural Village, the first structure to greet visitors entering the park,
highlights Jordan’s heritage.
Exhibits include studios for Arab calligraphy, stone inscriptions, natural dyes,
local ceramics and handicrafts.
The centre overlooks the city to the east and includes a restaurant and outdoor
terraces.
The “Theme Gardens” located in the centre of the park present a collection of
flora and water fountains. The gardens are reminiscent of historical phases of
the country’s history and its geographical landscapes. Cutting through the
gardens is the 400-metre “Promenade of Jordan,” where works of art and
historical representations display the country’s history.
Throughout the facility, water reservoirs were engineered in keeping with the
importance of rationing water consumption in Jordan.
Various basins were constructed to collect and divert rainwater, which are
connected to groundwater reservoirs, and are used for irrigation.
The 5,200-square-metre park is open year-round and is accessible to visitors
with special needs.
(From: Stuart Schoenfeld)
gil zohar, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 14, 2006
In January 5, 2009, Jerusalemites will finally know if the joke is on us.
That morning, the city's NIS 3.2-billion light rail project will either begin
operating on schedule and on budget or - as cynics fear - Jerusalem will be
crippled with a hugely expensive white elephant akin to Boston's infamous Big
Dig.
For readers unfamiliar with the New England city, in 1985 the Massachusetts
metropolis undertook to excavate a $2.5-billion tunnel beneath the historic
downtown, replacing an elevated expressway while updating infrastructure and
creating new parkland. Earlier this summer, after more than $12 billion in cost
overruns, Boston's long-delayed mega-project was temporarily shut down when a
tunnel ceiling panel collapsed, crushing a car and its driver.
Jerusalem's many long-suffering commuters may not face a similar debacle, but
fume they'll be made freiers (suckers) by feckless transportation bureaucrats.
As many have noted, the terminal at Israel's international airport, known as
Ben-Gurion 2000, finally opened in 2004.
They cite the countless revisions to the ambitious initial phase of the Red
Line, which is now set to snake through the city for 13.8 km. beginning at
Pisgat Ze'ev in the north, following Highway 1 south to Kikar Tzahal, where it
will turn west along pedestrian-only Jaffa Road, curve south over a landmark
bridge by the Central Bus Station and then carry along Herzl Boulevard to Yad
Vashem.
Tellingly, they worry, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) offices are hidden away
behind locked doors in the Clal Center - a concrete carbuncle which is arguably
the ugliest, least user-friendly office tower in all of Israel.
Mass transit officials have done a less than stellar job promoting public
understanding of the many traffic interruptions now plaguing Jerusalem, and the
LRT Web site (www.rakevetkala-jerusalem.org) has not updated its English page in
two years.
Hold your horses - or should one say sleek tram carriages - says Shmuel Tsabari,
project manager for the LRT, who says he can practically guarantee his baby will
be delivered on target, if not earlier, and won't cost a grush more than
allocated.
Tsabari's reasoning and the ultimate put-down to know-it-alls? The LRT, with its
46 state-of-the-art streetcars, is largely being built abroad by specialized
foreign companies which are bound by stiff penalties for any contract
violations or delays - and don't share the Levantine mentality of shuwaya,
shuwaya (little by little).
Known as BOT (build, operate and transfer), the plan is that by transferring
responsibility to overseas engineering firms, the privatized LRT will be able
to avoid the snafus of government involvement. Under the funding formula, NIS
1.2 billion is coming directly from taxpayers while NIS 2.2-billion is being
raised by City Pass, a consortium of French, Italian and Israeli companies that
in 1995 received a 30-year concession to build and operate the light rail
system. The contract includes a buy-back option after seven years.
In a futuristic fantasia worthy of Jules Verne or Theodor Herzl - who in his
1902 epochal work Altneuland (Old-New Country) envisioned a European-style tram
network spanning rebuilt Jerusalem - there will be 24 stations with trains
manufactured in La Rochelle, France, quietly gliding by every four minutes.
Emblematic of the whole complex enterprise and perhaps its most controversial
element will be the Bridge of Strings, a 340-meter-long single column
suspension bridge designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava that
promises to become an icon of the Israeli capital akin to San Francisco's
Golden Gate Bridge.
Calatrava's slender curved span will soar above the perpetual traffic jam at the
intersection of Jaffa Road and Shazar and Herzl boulevards, rising from near the
future train station - which is slated to begin carrying passengers to Modi'in,
Ben-Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv in 2009.
Tsabari dismisses criticism of the Calatrava Bridge as an extravagant waste
conceived by former mayor Ehud Olmert. While a conventional overpass would cost
between NIS 60-80 million, in contrast to the NIS 220 million for Calatrava's
modernist masterpiece, a more plebian bridge would entail some eight support
piers that would result in a concrete warren worthy of the Clal Center.
Instead, Calatrava's elegant solution will float on two bases now under
construction at the project's east and west ends.
"This is a bridge but also a monument," beams Tsabari, after showing an
impressive computer animation. Comparing Calatrava's design to a harp or
shofar, he notes it will be illuminated at night as a landmark of exquisite
beauty. Tourists and Jerusalemites will come to promenade along its pedestrian
path separated from the tramway, he insists.
And what of opposition from Jerusalem's citizens concerned the ultra-modern
design will clash with the historic city's character? Parisians initially hated
the Eiffel Tower when it was erected for the 1889 World's Fair. Guy de
Maupassant, Emile Zola and Alexandre Dumas the Younger were among those who
protested its construction.
How does one go about erecting a 2,600-ton bridge?
The bridge's anchor bases will comprise 70 holes drilled to a depth of 25
meters, each with a radius of between 60 and 90 cm., Tsabari explains.
Such is the public's misunderstanding of the project - or the LRT's failure to
provide information updates - that few people in Jerusalem realize that this
drilling job is now almost complete.
Beginning in December, City Pass will begin constructing a series of temporary
pillars to support the bridge platform. Those 24 metal sheets, currently under
fabrication in Padua, Italy, will be transported at night from the Haifa port.
Each section weighs 40 tons, and Tsabari notes police may have to close
sections of the highway from Sha'ar Hagai to facilitate the huge, slow-moving
transports.
In January 2007, the mastiff, also being made in Italy, will arrive in three
sections of approximately 40 meters each.
"We won't close the expressway entirely," promises Tsabari.
With the 118-meter high pylon in place, work will then begin on laying the 68
cables that will support the unique suspension bridge. Averaging four to six
"strings" per night, Tsabari anticipates somewhat vaguely that this phase will
be finished by next summer.
"I'm not arbitrarily saying summer. This is a very complex thing," he says. For
safety reasons, traffic will not be permitted under the bridge at night during
this phase of construction. Cars and buses will have to detour via Givat Shaul
or Lifta to reach the city center, he says.
Residents of nearby apartment buildings may also be temporarily evacuated during
this phase, explains LRT spokesman Shmulik Elgrably. There may be electricity
interruptions or difficulty in reaching their homes, he adds.
The LRT has appointed Amnon Elian as head of the community team coordinating
arrangements as necessitated by developments.
"Building the LRT isn't virtual," says Elgrably. "You don't do it on the
Internet."
With the bridge's 68 cables in place, the temporary ramps and pillars will then
be removed, the track bed laid and traffic restored.
"There's no question there will be a disturbance to the general public," Tsabari
asserts matter-of-factly. "It's like doing a house renovation."
This article can also be read at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1157913628228&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull