Category Archives: Water

Sustainable Drainage Systems in the Middle East: Benefits and Opportunities

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With changing weather patterns of frequent and intense rainfall, regions in the Middle East are struggling to cope with the influx of rain and stormwater runoff that often flood roads and residential areas. While a good network of surface drainage systems enforced with concrete, pipes and manholes may alleviate the situation, city planners can now adopt the use of more sustainable and environmentally beneficial methods to decrease urban flooding in the Middle East. This technique of utilising natural drainage systems to improve water management is also referred to as Sustainable Drainage Systems. Different types of SuDS: Detention ponds, green roofs, … Continue reading →

Irrigation Systems in the United Arab Emirates

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Driving down the streets of Dubai, one cannot ignore the large puddles of water that cover the side of the streets and sidewalks. These puddles, which are the result of attempted irrigation of green patches and plants, are a big waste. As a result, a very important question comes to mind: Does the UAE have that much water to spare? Water in the UAE is in very short supply. The United Arab Emirates is one of the top 10 most water-scarce countries in the world, and has one of the highest per capita water usages globally. With 550 liters per … Continue reading →

The Remarkable Water Lifting Noria

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One of the challenges humans have faced for centuries is raising water to reach farm fields or communities. One of the most impressive, yet little known, solutions is the noria (Arabic: نواعير حماة, Spanish: azud). The noria is properly pronounced na’ura (singular) and nawa’ir (plural). Noria literally means “the growler” referring to the sounds made as the wheel turns. The wooden bearings, falling water, and stresses on the wheel create a symphony of noise and musical notes. The deepest notes are in the range of 120–170 Hertz. These remarkable machines are undershot water wheels with paddles on the rim pushed … Continue reading →

VeryNile – Keeping the Nile Alive

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Over the last decade we have become increasingly alarmed at the amount of plastic in our oceans. More than 8 Million tons of it ends up out oceans every year and if we continue to pollute at this rate, there will be more trash than fish by the year 2050. By the way, there are 3.5 Trillion fishes in the ocean now. Where does all this waste come from? After analyzing waste in rivers and surrounding landscape, researchers found that most plastic waste comes from rivers; and 90% of this waste comes from only 10 river systems. One of them, … Continue reading →

Nile – The Lifeline of Egypt

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The Nile always played a key role in the lives of Egyptians. It made living in the desert possible, provided drinking water; it was a source of irrigation and most importantly created fertile soil that allowed for growing crops to feed the masses. The Nile also offered an ideal means of transport for goods and people thus causing development of boats and other water traveling methods. During the course of history, using the Nile for trading with other countries proved easier and safer than land. The trip from northern to southern Egypt would have been very strenuous if it wasn’t … Continue reading →

Runoff and Floodwater Farming – Examples from MENA and American SW

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To better understand the options for runoff agriculture, below is a review of some of the imaginative and effective techniques developed for use of runoff and floodwaters in the MENA region and the American Southwest (SW). Experimentation and experience over more than 5,000 years led to remarkable systems that enabled people to live well even in some of the most arid environments. These systems can be built and maintained by local people using available tools. Two major goals are to hold the water back so it doesn’t run off and to concentrate the water so that even the most arid … Continue reading →

Runoff and Floodwater Farming in the MENA and SW North America

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When it rains some water enters the soil, the rest runs off. As it gathers strength it becomes the floodwater that runs through valleys, streets, arroyos and wadis after a rain storm. Sparse vegetation, little soil development, soil crusts, and low infiltration/absorption contribute to fast peaking flows in arid regions[1]. Storms lead to floods that may continue for minutes, hours or days depending on the rainfall. Flood depths of 5-10 meters may occur in extreme events. Residents in arid and semi-arid lands have developed a wide range of strategies to hold and capture critically needed water. In many cases floodwater … Continue reading →

The Impact of Climate Change on Water Resources in MENA

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Freshwater shortage in the MENA region is posing a serious threat to economic growth, social cohesion, peace and political stability. Furthermore, today’s freshwater usage does not account for its present and future availability but rather is based on sectoral and geographical competing consumption needs. To make matters worse, this already dire situation is being exacerbated by the rapidly changing climate. Climate change affects water resources by its profound impact on water quantity, variability, timing, form, and intensity of precipitation. The MENA region, in particular, is highly vulnerable to the disruptive climate change effects because countries within this region are unarguably … Continue reading →

Acequias for More Sustainable Irrigation: Rediscover an Ancient Technology

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Arid and semi-arid lands develop when climatic conditions create water limitations and the water lost through evaporation exceeds the water gained from precipitation.  Severe water limitations and climatic extremes make these arid and semi-arid regions very dependent on careful and conservative water management. Traditional practices that use only gravity to distribute water in these environments have been used for thousands of years, but have been little studied and are under-appreciated. These gravity-based canal systems are known as acequia (Spanish) and secondary and lateral ditches are called laterales, linderos, sangrias, or venitas. The head gates that divide and control water flow … Continue reading →

How Water-Saving Construction Can Future-Proof the Middle East Against Climate Change

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Water is one of the most precious resources in the Middle East’s arid environment. However, conserving this commodity is becoming increasingly challenging amid the region’s rapid population growth, urban sprawl and rising industrialization. Even more concerning is the necessity of water as it grows scarcer by the day due to climate change. Fortunately, technological advances and emerging construction practices create a path toward water resilience in Middle Eastern countries, particularly in bustling cities like Dubai, Mashhad and Cairo. Water Challenges in the Middle East Decades of poor water management and the growing threat of climate change across the Middle East … Continue reading →

Stepwells for Secure Water Supplies – Rediscover an Ancient Technology

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Stepwells are a remarkable and well-proven traditional water management practice, used in the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East, that deserves wider recognition and use. In this article, we will discuss the history and evolution of stepwells. Stepwells and steptanks have stairs leading from ground level to the bottom of a pool of water.[1] Stepwells cut into the rock or with a masonry or impermeable construction might better be known as steptanks or cisterns. The more important stepwells are porous and linked to the groundwater (aquifer). To build this kind of system the soil or rock type, depth to groundwater, … Continue reading →

Qanats: A Sustainable Water Management Tool For Arid Lands

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Qanats are a remarkable system for managing water without pumps and with minimal evaporation even when water is transferred over considerable distances. A mother well starts the qanat and then an underground canal set at a minimal pitch carries the water for many kilometers until it comes to the surface. Some qanats were 70 km or longer.[i]  The sizes of the tunnel and wells vary widely from narrow, barely large enough to fit a person, to substantial. In less consolidated materials the access shafts may need to be much larger. The spacing of the access shafts may be 20-150 m … Continue reading →