Water Issues

A Taliban security personnel walks along the roadside during the inauguration ceremony of Bakhshabad Dam in Bala Buluk district of Farah province on May 20, 2023.

Analysis

How climate change, dams are fueling Iran-Afghanistan water disputes

The Pashdan Dam is the latest flashpoint in the long-standing water disputes between the two nations.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby (King Hussein) Bridge crossing point to Jordan (background), Jericho, West Bank, Jan. 28, 2021.

Analysis

First in 30 years: How Allenby Bridge attack could upend Jordan-Israel ties

Despite the strained relationship between Jordan's King Abdullah and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, neither of the governments wishes to see the breakout of violence on the border or the Temple Mount.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

A Somali National Army soldier stands at attention during the morning briefing for trainee officers at the General Dhagabadan Training Centre in Mogadishu on March 19, 2024.

Tensions surge in Horn of Africa as Ethiopia’s ambitions clash with Somalia, Egypt

Tensions in the Horn of Africa bubble following a weapons delivery from Egypt to Somalia on Tuesday and Ethiopia's accusing Somalia of colluding with foreign governments.

The Euphrates river near Dura Europos (Tell Salhiye), Syria. Iraq is just several miles downstream.

In managing water crisis, can Turkey and Iraq bridge gap without Syria?

Turkey and Iraq need to bring Syria into the fold to resettle the historical water sharing problems between the three countries, according to experts and officials.

Latest News

Dubai's record rainfall spotlights Gulf’s troubled relation with water

A man walks past a stranded car on a flooded street in Dubai following heavy rains on April 18, 2024.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Why Israel is likely to accept Jordan’s request for more water

The Wadi Mujib river in Jordan.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Floods devastate Iran’s Baluchistan as losses exceed $40 million

An Iranian woman walks through a flooded road on Jan. 13, 2020.

Ethiopia's Abiy Ahmed downplays war risk with Somalia over Somaliland deal

AMANUEL SILESHI/AFP via Getty Images

This general view shows an Ethiopian national flag flying infront of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in Guba, Ethiopia, on Feb. 19, 2022.

Egypt, Ethiopia compete for US support in Nile dam file

Ethiopia’s former water minister presents his credentials as a new ambassador to the United States, in a move that aims to counter Egyptian efforts to win US support to its side in the GERD dispute.

Recreational boats along the shore of the salt lake of Urmia and Shahid Kalantari causeway crossing it in Iran.

Is a water crisis brewing between Turkey and Iran?

Discord over transboundary waters and dam construction emerges as a major factor underlying the strains in Turkish-Iranian ties.

French rice farmer Bernard Poujol holds a stalk of rice in a rice field, Saint Gilles, France, Oct. 12, 2017.

Egyptian scientist creates new rice variety that requires less water

An Egyptian scientist and head of the National Rice Development Project at the Ministry of Agriculture invented a new type of rice that does not need much water, after the Egyptian government announced that the country is suffering from water poverty.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during the first power generation ceremony.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Russia-Ukraine war spills over into Nile Dam dispute

Israel reveals IRGC plots; Hamas looks to capitalize on Jerusalem violence; Iraq steps up desert drug busts; Iraq builds a wall with Turkey; migrant boat tragedy fuels anger in Lebanon; and more.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

A general view shows a damaged mansion following an overnight attack in Erbil.

Iraqi Kurdistan hit by multiple missile attacks as threats rise

Attacks have increased against the Kurdistan Region of Iraq in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure while warning against continuing collaboration with Turkey.

A general view of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Guba, Ethiopia, Feb. 20, 2022.

Ethiopia’s next move on Nile dam may hinder negotiations

Ethiopia started concrete construction on the body of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam ahead of the third filling of the dam’s reservoir, amid continued stalled negotiations with Egypt and Sudan.

This general view shows an Ethiopian national flag.

Egypt braces for third-stage filling of Nile dam

Egypt continues to implement projects for water management, although some say the third filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will not affect Cairo’s water supply this year.

Omani oryx

Water scarcity in Jordan threatens nature reserve of rare Arabian gazelle

Water collection and a lack of available supplies are putting nature reserves in the east of the country under increasing pressure.

A picture taken on January 3, 2021, shows a general view of Egypt's High Dam in Aswan.

German bank to fund Aswan Dam, construction of solar plant in Egypt

The Aswan Dam provides half of Egypt’s power supply. Egypt is also working to increase its use of solar power.

An aerial view taken on April 12, 2022, shows the city of Mariupol, during Russia's military invasion launched on Ukraine.

Analysis

The Takeaway: Ukraine war worsens Middle East oil gap

Sudan’s Burhan accuses UN envoy; Egypt increases support for Sudan; Libya cracks down on human rights activists; Turkey’s farmers face economic pinch; Islamic State uses dust as cover in Iraq … all in less than 1,200 words!

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

An undated image of Mashhad Tabataba after its relocation.

Egypt saves only remaining monument from Ikhshidid era

To save the monument from being submerged under the sulfur Ain el-Sira Lake south of Cairo, Egypt has announced the relocation of Mashhad al-Tabataba, the only monument left from the Ikhshidid era.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received on March 26 his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame.

Egypt strengthens ties with Rwanda amid Nile dam crisis

Egyptian-Rwandan relations are currently witnessing rapprochement, as Cairo expands its influence in the Nile Basin to put more pressure on Ethiopia over its controversial Nile dam.