Super Dam: Egyptian Concern for Nile Water Security Spurs Cooperation Over Ethiopia’s New Dam

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The dust of Egypt's leadership transition has barely begun to settle, and already the new government is working to forestall any loss in supply or access to the Nile’s waters. Meanwhile, Ethiopia continues upstream with one of the largest hydropower projects in the world.
infographic: Wealth of the Nile

Infographic: Wealth of the Nile — Basin’s Countries, Dams, and GDP per capita

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Controversy over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, which will become the largest dam in Africa when it is completed in 2017, stems from a long history of disputes along the Nile River's 10 countries.
Photographer Norbert Schiller on the Nile River Basin

Q&A: Photographer Norbert Schiller on the Nile River Basin

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In reporting on the Nile River Basin, Circle of Blue spoke with Norbert Schiller, a journalist and photographer with more than 25 years of experience covering the Middle East and Africa. He is currently a columnist for Mint Press News.
The Rapid Destruction of the Mesopotamian Marshlands

Map: Destruction and Restoration of Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshlands (1973-2013)

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Saddam Hussein's legacy includes draining Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshland, an integral part of the Tigris-Euphrates River Basin and once the third-largest wetland in the world. Now, the Biblical Garden of Eden is the site of the war-weary nation’s first and only national park.
The Rapid Destruction of the Mesopotamian Marshlands

Iraq’s First National Park: A Story of Destruction and Restoration in the Mesopotamian Marshlands

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The inauguration of Iraq’s first national park earlier this summer represents a step toward national rebuilding for the war-torn country. But restoration of Iraq’s marshes also offers a grander vision for regional water cooperation throughout the Middle East and elsewhere.

Report: Groundwater Pumping a Major Cause of Declining Water Storage in the Middle East

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Satellite data shows the Tigris and Euphrates river basins are yet another example of how groundwater is being pumped at unsustainable rates across the world.
Damascus Syria food insecurity production scarcity fruit market stand war refugee

Food Security: Destroyed Agricultural Infrastructure Drops Production in Syria

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Irrigation canals have been severely damaged, large poultry farms have been destroyed, and now close to 10 percent of Syrians who remained inside the country's borders are in need of food assistance — these are just a few of the side effects of the ongoing conflict in the war-torn country that will likely have ramifications on food security for years to come.

Water and Ice: Winter Storms Another Trial for Syria’s Refugees

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More than 600,000 Syrian refugees to Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon faced a harsh onslaught of winter flooding and freezing temperatures last week. Those who have remained in the war-torn country are struggling to keep their taps running.

Syrian Refugees Flood Into Jordan’s Dry Northern Region

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In states surrounding Syria — especially resource-poor Jordan — the influx of more than 120,000 Syrian refugees is putting a squeeze on the water supply.

Map: Interbasin Water Transfers in Iran

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The country already has major water transfer projects moving 2,110 million cubic meters (557 billion gallons). Just two weeks ago, Iran began construction on a new $US 1.5 billion project that will transfer more water from the Caspian Sea.
Marafiq Plant in Al Jubail

Plumbing WikiLeaks: Saudi Arabia Fears Iranian Nuclear Meltdown and Potential Terrorism to Desalination

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Classified cables show that Saudi and U.S. officials believe water supplies along the Persian Gulf are at high-risk for terrorist attacks and possible contamination from nearby nuclear plants. This is the first of a new series that will analyze the water-related U.S. embassy cables published by WikiLeaks.
Marafiq Plant in Al Jubail

Peter Gleick: Water as a Weapon — Qaddafi’s Last Desperate Gamble

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There is a long history of conflicts over water. The first known water war was nearly 5,000 years ago: a conflict over irrigation ditches between the cities of Umma and Lagash in ancient Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq.