Egypt Warns of ‘Water Scarcity’ at Baghdad International Water Conference

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources meets his Iraqi counterpart on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources meets his Iraqi counterpart on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
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Egypt Warns of ‘Water Scarcity’ at Baghdad International Water Conference

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources meets his Iraqi counterpart on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)
The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources meets his Iraqi counterpart on the sidelines of the Baghdad International Water Conference (Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources)

Egypt said it is among the countries suffering the most from "water scarcity", noting that increased pressure on limited water resources will lead to the spread of poverty and a decline in the standard of living.

The Egyptian Minister of Water Resources, Mohamed Abdul Ati, participated in the second Baghdad International Water Conference, titled "Water and Climate Change."

Speaking at the "Water Resources Management with Climate Changes" session, the Minister said Egypt suffers from water resources scarcity and needs about 114 billion cubic meters annually, while the available water resources amount to 74 billion cubic meters.

The Nile water accounts for more than 90 percent of Egypt's needs or 55.5 billion cubic meters. It fears water shortage after Ethiopia begins operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The Minister focused on the negative impact of climate change, adding that increased pressure on limited water resources would lead to water poverty and a decline in living standards.

He warned that the adverse effects of climate change have become a "reality we are witnessing in many extreme weather conditions" around the world.

Abdul Ati stressed that Egypt and many Arab countries are among the most countries in the world that suffer from water scarcity, which necessitated the development of the policies and the implementation of many significant projects to deal with water challenges.

The Ministry of Irrigation has prepared a plan to manage water in Egypt until 2037 with investments of more than $50 billion, which are expected to increase to $100 billion.

The plan aims to "improve water quality, develop new water resources, rationalize the use of currently available resources, and create a supportive environment for water issues," said the Minister.

The Minister reviewed Egypt's experience in water management through the implementation of many significant projects, such as the rehabilitation of canals, the transformation of modern irrigation systems, and smart irrigation applications.

The ministry also implemented projects to reuse agricultural drainage water, expand seawater desalination projects, rehabilitate water facilities, and increase technology usage in water management.

The ministry also increased its efforts in developing legislations such as the new Water Resources and Irrigation Law and its executive regulations.

A statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources highlighted statements by US presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, who reiterated the need for upstream countries to cooperate and ensure dam projects will not affect the water needs of downstream countries.

World Food Program (WFP) Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Corinne Fleischer lauded the successful Egyptian experience in rehabilitating canals and modern irrigation system conversion, noting the impact of this transformation on increasing the area of ​​cultivated land, reducing water consumption, and increasing farmer's income.



Netanyahu Denounces Tactical Pauses in Gaza Fighting to Get in Aid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
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Netanyahu Denounces Tactical Pauses in Gaza Fighting to Get in Aid

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) attends the Knesset plenum vote on the ultra-Orthodox conscription to military service law, in the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, 10 June 2024. (EPA)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized plans announced by the military on Sunday to hold daily tactical pauses in fighting along one of the main roads into Gaza to facilitate aid delivery into the Palestinian enclave.

The military had announced the daily pauses from 0500 GMT until 1600 GMT in the area from the Kerem Shalom Crossing to the Salah al-Din Road and then northwards.

"When the prime minister heard the reports of an 11-hour humanitarian pause in the morning, he turned to his military secretary and made it clear that this was unacceptable to him," an Israeli official said.

The military clarified that normal operations would continue in Rafah, the main focus of its operation in southern Gaza, where eight soldiers were killed on Saturday.

The reaction from Netanyahu underlined political tensions over the issue of aid coming into Gaza, where international organizations have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads one of the nationalist religious parties in Netanyahu's ruling coalition, denounced the idea of a tactical pause, saying whoever decided it was a "fool" who should lose their job.

DIVISIONS BETWEEN COALITION, ARMY

The spat was the latest in a series of clashes between members of the coalition and the military over the conduct of the war, now in its ninth month.

It came a week after centrist former general Benny Gantz quit the government, accusing Netanyahu of having no effective strategy in Gaza.

The divisions were laid bare last week in a parliamentary vote on a law on conscripting ultra-Orthodox Jews into the military, with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant voting against it in defiance of party orders, saying it was insufficient for the needs of the military.

Religious parties in the coalition have strongly opposed conscription for the ultra-Orthodox, drawing widespread anger from many Israelis, which has deepened as the war has gone on.

Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, the head of the military, said on Sunday there was a "definite need" to recruit more soldiers from the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox community.

RESERVISTS UNDER STRAIN

Despite growing international pressure for a ceasefire, an agreement to halt the fighting still appears distant, more than eight months since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas fighters on Israel triggered a ground assault on the enclave by Israeli forces.

Since the attack, which killed some 1,200 Israelis and foreigners in Israeli communities, Israel's military campaign has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health ministry figures, and destroyed much of Gaza.

Although opinion polls suggest most Israelis support the government's aim of destroying Hamas, there have been widespread protests attacking the government for not doing more to bring home around 120 hostages who are still in Gaza after being taken hostage on Oct. 7.

Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials said seven Palestinians were killed in two air strikes on two houses in Al-Bureij refugee camp in central Gaza Strip.

As fighting in Gaza has continued, a lower level conflict across the Israel-Lebanon border is now threatening to spiral into a wider war as near-daily exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia have escalated.

In a further sign that fighting in Gaza could drag on, Netanyahu's government said on Sunday it was extending until Aug. 15 the period it would fund hotels and guest houses for residents evacuated from southern Israeli border towns.