The Middle East and North Africa are sensing the effects of an "increasingly unpredictable" global water cycle as the region's rivers and soil dry up, weather forecasters have warned.
An erratic water cycle giving rise to both hot and dry conditions and extreme rainfall such as last year's deadly flooding in Libya is a sign of what is to come due to climate change, the World Meteorological Organisation said in an annual report published on Monday.
It said reservoirs in the Middle East were taking in abnormally small amounts of water, while the region's soil moisture was "much below normal" and North Africa had a "significant rainfall deficit". Jordan was singled out as lacking groundwater due to long-term overexploitation.
The flooding in Libya last September was made more deadly than that on Europe's Mediterranean shores by a lack of early warning systems and preparedness, said WMO expert Stefan Uhlenbrook. He said high ocean temperatures had fuelled the flooding at a time of year when "normally it should never rain at all in Libya".
"It's both extremes that hurt society," Mr Uhlenbrook said, referring to floods and droughts, "particularly where the capacity is low to deal with these challenges, like in many parts of Africa [and] the Middle East." He described Jordan as "one of the most water-scarce countries" due to its high population density.
The WMO, whose president is UAE meteorologist Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, estimates that 3.6 billion people around the world do not have enough access to water for at least one month a year. That number is forecast to rise to more than five billion by 2050.
It is estimated that as many as 250 million people in the Middle East and North Africa lack safe drinking water, according to a separate August study which suggests the scale of the health and poverty problem worldwide could be twice as bad as feared.
“Water is the canary in the coal mine of climate change," said the WMO's secretary general, Celeste Saulo. "We receive distress signals in the form of increasingly extreme rainfall, floods and droughts which wreak a heavy toll on lives, ecosystems and economies.
“As a result of rising temperatures, the hydrological cycle has accelerated. It has also become more erratic and unpredictable, and we are facing growing problems of either too much or too little water. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture which is conducive to heavy rainfall. More rapid evaporation and drying of soils worsen drought conditions."
The world's water problems in 2023 were fuelled by the hottest global temperatures on record and the worst glacier melting in 50 years, according to scientific data. Switzerland's Alpine glaciers have lost about 10 per cent of their remaining volume over the past two years, it is believed.
Around the world only 40 per cent of reservoirs took in a "normal" amount of water. About 43 per cent were short of water, including those in the Middle East and Central Asia, according to the WMO. About one in six were fuller than usual, including in Scandinavia and South Africa.
For parts of the year water evaporation was "much above normal" in the Arabian peninsula and some of Eastern Europe. North Africa and the Middle East endured "much below normal" soil moisture levels during the summer months.
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Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The%C2%A0specs%20
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The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
THREE
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