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20 Feb 2012 - 19:17 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The Egyptian government last week announced it would tender $1.8 billion USD worth of sanitation projects on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.
The goal is to take the financial burden of the projects off the government’s shoulders at a time when it is struggling to cut the budget deficit, according to government officials.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:14 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt (OOSKAnews Corre...) — OOSKAnews Correspondent, CAIRO, Egypt -- The Egyptian Water and Irrigation Ministry launched a three-year study as part of its effort to rehabilitate the country’s aging irrigation systems.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:13 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
nairoBi, Kenya (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Naftali Mwaura, OOSKAnews, NAIROBI, Kenya -- The loss of topsoil due to mechanized farming, urbanization and population growth is contributing to depletion of freshwater ecosystems, according to a new report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).
20 Feb 2012 - 19:11 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
nairoBi, Kenya (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Kenya is investing in water conservation technologies to boost dry land farming, as the East African region braces for repeated droughts and other effects of climate change.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:10 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
ZIMBABWE, HARARE (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Zimbabwe’s water table is falling dramatically, while many areas are also experiencing lower than average rainfall, paving the way for a potential crisis in a country where millions of people already live with the daily threat of waterborne disease.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:18 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
lusaKa, Zambia (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Zambia’s National Water Supply and Sanitation Council has refused to approve new tariffs for Chambeshi Water and Sewerage Company until it completes service improvements, and has deferred the tariff increase at the Luapula Water and Sewerage Company until next month on the grounds that the rates do not match the service level guarantees.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:08 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
GAZA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The Gaza Water Authority is warning of a potential water crisis if power supplies to the Gaza Strip do not resume.
“The power cuts that Gaza has been suffering from for many days now is seriously affecting the amount of water reaching households,” said Gaza Water Department Director Ramzi Ahl.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:06 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Nigeria, ABUJA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — International rights watchdog Human Rights Watch is criticizing the Nigerian government for the slow pace of its cleanup operation in the northwestern part of the country, where lead poisoning is being blamed for the deaths of some 400 children.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:15 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Malawi, LILONGWE (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The Blantyre Water Board’s efforts to increase safe water supply to residents are being thwarted by vandalism of infrastructure and illegal connections.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:53 by Local Press Report
JEDDAH (Local Press Report) — Saudi Arabia’s water sector is poised for a period of significant activity over the next year, as the government -- under pressure to deliver better public services -- implements a major spending program designed to ramp up access to water.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:03 by Local Press Report
PARIS (Local Press Report) — The French parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee published an unprecedented report two weeks ago accusing Israel of implementing “apartheid” policies in its allocation of water resources in the West Bank. The Israeli Embassy in Paris had no foreknowledge of the report and thus did not refute it or work to moderate it.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:52 by Local Press Report
JEDDAH (Local Press Report) — The new desal plant in Ras Al-Khair in the Eastern Province will supply 800,000 cubic meters of water to Riyadh next year, said Water and Electricity Minister Abdullah Al-Hussayen on February 14. “It represents 50 percent of water supplied from other desal plants to Riyadh,” the minister said, adding that Ras Al-Khair would resolve the capital city’s water shortage.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:01 by Local Press Report
TEL AVIV (Local Press Report) — Scientists have been studying the possibility of monitoring the algae in the Kinneret from space, in a bid to map the water quality in the lake more effectively.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:50 by Local Press Report
TUNIS (Local Press Report) — Local, regional and national authorities, advised inhabitants residing along the Medjerda River, which crosses through Algeria and Tunisia, to take precautionary measures in anticipation of large quantities of melting snow.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:59 by Local Press Report
AMMAN (Local Press Report) — Jordan received offers from two groups of companies for a project that would desalinate water from the Red Sea and help replenish the Dead Sea, a spokesman at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation said. Two of the six groups that were qualified in 2011 to compete submitted technical and financial offers, Adnan Zu’bi said by telephone from Amman.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:48 by Local Press Report
KASESE (Local Press Report) — Government officials and non-governmental organizations in Kasese District have joined efforts to fight cholera in Bukonzo West where the disease resurfaced two weeks ago. This comes after one person died and at least 100 cases were treated at Bwera Hospital last week.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:58 by Local Press Report
nairoBi (Local Press Report) — Wrangles in the Water Ministry have moved to court, with officials of the Coast Water Services Board winning the first round in a suit challenging the revocation of their appointment. The officials are challenging Minister Charity Ngilu’s move to disband the board.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:46 by Local Press Report
ABU DHABI (Local Press Report) — The Ministerial Council for Services approved on February 12 a proposal to ban the export of UAE’s groundwater to any destination outside the country. The decision was taken at a meeting of the Ministerial Council for Services under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:56 by Local Press Report
KUWAIT CITY (Local Press Report) — The Criminal Court has postponed the case of Mishref sewage pumping station, in which nine persons are accused of forgery and destruction of property, until March 13. Among the nine are three leading figures of the Ministry of Public Works. The Public Prosecution Department has charged five of the suspects. They include the General Director of the company, which was executing the project.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:25 by Local Press Report
ABU DHABI (Local Press Report) — Drake & Scull International, or DSI, on Monday reported a 36 percent growth in net profit on newly-acquired companies that attracted more contracts. The company said it aims to sustain growth in 2012 in the Middle East and North Africa region and also look for expansion in Asia. DSI declared a net profit of $60 million USD for 2011.
20 Feb 2012 - 18:55 by Local Press Report
MUSCAT (Local Press Report) — A U.S. State Department bid to fulfill President Obama’s quest for cooperative scientific centers -- outlined in his well-publicized speech in Cairo, Egypt, in 2009 -- may soon result in a cross-cultural network of scientists based in Oman to work on water issues -- and could serve as an opening to ease Israeli and Palestinian tensions. The U.S.
20 Feb 2012 - 19:05 by Local Press Report
CAIRO (Local Press Report) — Egypt will host the fourth African week for water from May 20 to 24, 2012 to lay down an African vision in the water field, Egypt’s irrigation minister Hisham Qandil said on Wednesday February 15.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:49 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Egypt will assist the Democratic Republic of Congo with dam and well-drilling projects under an agreement signed between the two countries on February 5.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:36 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
nairoBi, Kenya (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Water projects in Kenya slated for the first quarter of this financial year are under pressure due to the Eurozone debt crisis, with experts projecting slow growth in the country’s water sector for an indeterminate period.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:34 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
LONDON, United Kingdom (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The effects of climate change have the potential to “water the seeds” of discord in the Niger River basin, a new report warns.
The Niger Basin experiences a wide range of water issues including desertification, river siltation and pollution, water allocation challenges and considerable future uncertainty over rainfall.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:47 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
Malawi, LILONGWE (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Water and sanitation are woefully underfunded in Malawi’s district assemblies, calling into question the country’s move to decentralize the sector.
In 2009-2010, the Ministry of Finance allocated $74.5 million USD to the country’s 28 district assemblies.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:45 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
lusaKa, Zambia (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Zambia’s Drug Enforcement Commission arrested Zambia Red Cross Society Secretary General Charles Mushitu for theft and money laundering of $262,000 USD in donor funds meant for water and sanitation projects in the country’s Southern Province.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:43 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The city of Marsa Alam, in eastern Egypt, is building a new 3,000-cubic-meter-per-day desalination plant.
It will be the tenth such plant built in Egypt’s Red Sea governorate, which depends mainly on desalinated water.
City water officials said this month that they had issued a tender to construct the seawater intake for the plant.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:41 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
GAZA (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Qatar plans to fund projects to conserve groundwater and improve water quality in the Gaza Strip.
After inaugurating newly rehabilitated pumping stations and desalination plants in the city of Khan Younis last week, Qatari and Palestinian officials discussed projects that will need funding in the next few years.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:39 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
CAIRO, Egypt (OOSKAnews Corre...) — The Egyptian government last week allocated $3.5 million USD to complete stalled sanitation projects in the governorate of Marsa Matrouh.
At the top of the list is the sewage treatment station in the governorate’s capital. Work on the station stopped in 2009 after the first phase due to lack of funds.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:51 by OOSKAnews Correspondent
nairoBi, Kenya (OOSKAnews Corre...) — Kenya’s Ministry of Water and Irrigation last week dissolved the boards of directors at four of the country’s eight water services boards and replaced them with new appointments, largely drawn from professional associations.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:21 by Local Press Report
BEIRUT (Local Press Report) — The Lebanese government has signed a $200 million USD World Bank loan to finance a $370 million USD project to supply Beirut with water from the Awali River.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:05 by Local Press Report
KAMPALA (Local Press Report) — Consumers will have to part with extra cash to get some water after the National Water and Sewerage Corporation increased prices of every unit of water by 10 percent.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:19 by Local Press Report
MONTREAL (Local Press Report) — One of the people accused in an alleged plot to smuggle members of Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s family to Mexico was with an SNC-Lavalin executive when police took her into custody. Stephane Roy -- who oversaw billions of dollars worth of projects in Libya -- was present in Mexico City on the invitation of Canadian Cyndy Vanier, one of the accused in the case.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:03 by Local Press Report
ABU DHABI (Local Press Report) — Abu Dhabi will unveil a new utility bill for its customers starting next month that will provide more information, mainly on managing their water and power consumption across the emirate. All the water and electricity customers will receive separate utility bills showing the government subsidy.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:16 by Local Press Report
MUSCAT (Local Press Report) — The Public Authority for Electricity and Water will soon finalize evaluation of bids by contractors to implement the water network in the Wilayat of Nizwa in Al Dakhiliyah governorate, according to Chairman Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al Mahrouqi. The recommendations will be referred to the Tender Board in the first quarter of the current year.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:30 by Local Press Report
TEHRAN (Local Press Report) — Iran has saved some 100 trillion rials (around $8.1 billion USD) in water consumption and some 5 trillion rials (around $400 million USD) in power consumption since implementing the Subsidy Reform Plan in December 2010, Energy Minister Majid Namjou said. The administration is planning to reduce the per capita consumption of water to 30 liters from 150 liters, the minister added.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:01 by Local Press Report
ABU DHABI (Local Press Report) — A consortium led by Spain’s Aqualia and local company Mace has been awarded a seven-year $101.3 million USD contract to manage a sewage and water treatment system in Abu Dhabi.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:14 by Local Press Report
DOHA (Local Press Report) — The Doha office of international law firm Eversheds has been appointed to advise Qatar General Electricity and Water Co (Kahramaa) in relation to its strategies for the improvement and expansion of electricity and water supply in Qatar.
13 Feb 2012 - 17:28 by Local Press Report
TEHRAN (Local Press Report) — Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water Gebran Bassil in a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Qazanfar Roknabadi underlined his country’s enthusiasm for cooperation with Tehran in developing infrastructures in Lebanon. During the meeting, Bassil called for presence of Iranian companies in the electricity and water sectors in Lebanon.
Countries covered: Algeria, Angola, Bahrain, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Reunion, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Zambia, Zanzibar, Zimbabwe.
Water is the world’s most critical strategic resource, and a $470 billion industry. OOSKAnews, Inc is a specialist publisher of hard to find international water sector and water-related news and intelligence. We produce weekly email subscription newsletters covering local, regional and global water policy, government, business, finance and funding, environment, energy security, food security, risk. Read more
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