In the suburbs of Algiers, the taps have been dry for days. But Algeria is not the only country in the region suffering
Algeria is not alone. In the past few months protests over water shortages have erupted in Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen. Two protesters were shot dead in Iran on July 16th. And a lack of water is contributing to unrest elsewhere in the Middle East and north Africa.
Some governments are dealing with the problem. Israel and the Gulf states rely on desalination plants, which can run on solar power and produce a cubic metre of freshwater for as little as 50 cents. But many governments are making things worse. Protesters blame mismanagement and corruption for much of the misery. “The water sector is disintegrating,” says Hassan al-Janabi, a former water minister in Iraq. “There will be an explosion.
Such subsidies have long encouraged farmers in the region to waste water on a massive scale. Still, leaders like to use cheap water as a way to buy support or further their own interests. The regime in Jordan, one of the world’s driest countries, uses it to mollify farmers from powerful tribes in the Jordan valley. In Iran the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps rerouted a river to cool its steel mills in Isfahan.
Those in Algeria often blame corruption for their water woes. The government has spent more than $50bn on water projects over the past two decades, but much of it has evaporated. One former minister of water resources has been sentenced to jail for pilfering funds and in recent weeks two more have been arrested. Ten of the 11 desalination plants built by a state subsidiary are in disrepair.
México Últimas Noticias, México Titulares
Similar News:También puedes leer noticias similares a ésta que hemos recopilado de otras fuentes de noticias.
6 Things You Should Know About Middle-Distance Star Raevyn Rogers Ahead of the Tokyo OlympicsThe middle-distance star changed coaches and moved cross-country during the pandemic, and she had a frightening brush with law enforcement, to name two.
Leer más »
Massive wildfires in US West bring haze to East CoastPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Wildfires in the American West, including one burning in Oregon that's currently the largest in the U.S., are creating hazy skies as far away as New York as the massive infernos spew smoke and ash into the air in columns up to six miles high.
Leer más »
Olympian Shawn Johnson Welcomes Baby Boy With Husband Andrew EastThe 29-year-old former gymnast is also a mom to 20-month-old Drew Hazel East.
Leer más »
A $369K Upper East Side Alcove Studio and a Park Slope Two-BedroomA spacious Upper East Side alcove studio, a Park Slope two-bedroom with a working fireplace, and more New York apartments under $1 million
Leer más »