Lebanon's worst drought on record drains largest reservoir, Asia News
The Litani River National Authority said inflows to Lake Qaraoun during this year's wet season did not exceed 45 million cubic metres, a fraction of the 350 million cubic metres annual average.
Last year, the figure stood at 230 million. The water currently available in Lake Qaraoun — around 61 million cubic meters — was unusable due to severe pollution, the authority said.
"There were dry years in 1989, 1990 and 1991, but this year is the driest," said Sami Alawieh, head of the river authority. "We are facing a water scarcity problem across all Lebanese territories and water basins."
Drone footage of Lake Qaraoun shows a dramatically receded shoreline, exposing cracked earth and dead vegetation.
Lebanon's hydroelectric plants tied to the Litani basin have been shut down, Alawieh said, causing financial losses and intensifying electricity rationing by Electricite du Liban.
"We have two factors: the decline in rainfall and the pressure on groundwater," he said.
A study by the authority found climate warming and shifting weather patterns have contributed to more frequent dry seasons and higher temperatures, exacerbating soil moisture loss and reducing the recharging of groundwater reservoirs.
The state utility has slashed supply in some areas from 20 hours a day to as little as 10.
In the fertile area around Qaraoun village, in the Bekaa Valley, farmers were already feeling the impact.
"I have never seen such drought or scarcity of rain as this year," said Safa Issa. "We used to get snow up to a metre high. Now, it's been 10 years since we've seen any."
The strain has been compounded by erratic supply of electricity needed to run irrigation systems.
"You irrigate for three hours, then stop for three," said Fayez Omais, another local farmer.
Suzy Hoayek, an adviser to the Ministry of Energy and Water in Beirut, said a nationwide awareness campaign to reduce consumption would be launched within 10 days.
"The most important thing is to manage demand," she said.
[[nid:719660]]
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The best places to retire in Britain revealed
Chesham and Amersham has been crowned the best place to retire in Britain, in a ranking by L&G (LGEN.L), which looked at the top areas for wellbeing in later life. The financial services firm said in an analysis, published on Wednesday, that the commuter-belt constituency in Buckinghamshire ranked highest for retirement wellbeing out of 632 areas across the nation. L&G's study ranked each British constituency against six pillars measuring quality of life in retirement: housing, health, community, finances, nature, and access to amenities. Each area was scored out of 100 to identify where retirees are most likely to thrive. Chesham and Amersham received an overall score of 74 out of 100, with the constituency performing particularly well on health, gaining a score of 93 for this category. L&G said this reflected a strong proportion of over-65s in good physical and mental health, as well as good access to GPs. The area also scored highly on financial security and in the other pillars, which L&G said made it a well-rounded environment for later life. Some constituencies were top performers in individual categories but did not make it into the top 20 ranking list, as this was based on the overall score. Sheffield Hallam in South Yorkshire, West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine in Aberdeenshire, and Tatton in Cheshire, were all top performers in the financial pillar specifically. This category covered pension income, cost of living, housing affordability and deprivation levels. A previous study from L&G and the Happiness Research Institute, a Danish thinktank, found that the happiest retirees have an average monthly income of £1,700, but only 38% of retirees receive this or more, while many live on much less. The stability of that income was also a factor, L&G said, as retirees with a guaranteed income reported higher levels of satisfaction and face fewer affordability challenges. Bristol Central, Gloucester, and Bournemouth East all came out top for housing, which considered factors such as access to residential care homes and the availability of suitable senior housing in the region. Read more: Bank of England data points to mini-boom in UK property market Meanwhile, Lancashire's Fylde was the top performer in terms of social and community connection, followed by Lowestoft in Suffolk and Dorking and Horley in Surrey. Castle Point in Essex, South Holland and The Deepings in Lincolnshire, and South Cambridgeshire were ranked top for nature, which accounted for air quality, reported summer days, percentage of addresses with private outdoor space, and the average size of private outdoor space. Much of London performed poorly in terms of financial security in later life, though the capital scored well for access to amenities, which L&G said nudged some constituencies up the league table. Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner in outer London made it into the top 20 in 14th place. Lorna Shah, managing director of retail retirement at L&G, said: "This research gives us a more complete picture of what shapes a happy later life. It's not just about one factor – it's the combination of health, social connections, environment, and financial security that all play a part in retirement wellbeing. "Financial security in particular, is an enabler for many of the other measures, giving people the freedom to choose where and how they want to live in later life." Read more: Average rent surges to £2,712 in London and £1,365 across UK Meat and tea prices fuel sixth straight month of rising food inflation Why thousands of women are missing out on full state pensions
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Joe Rogan Calls Trump Admin Detaining Pro-Palestine Students ‘Kind Of Shifty'
Joe Rogan came out in support of foreign-born university students across the U.S. who have been detained or face deportation for protesting Israel amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza. 'Isn't a university supposed to be a place where someone's allowed to express themselves and have opinions?' Rogan asked comedian Mike Vecchione on Tuesday's episode of 'The Joe Rogan Experience.' Rogan, who endorsed Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election, joined a growing group of podcasters who have begun to turn on the president. The comedian previously attacked Trump's immigration enforcement in an episode earlier this month, criticizing raids for targeting workplaces instead of violent criminals. Actor Mark Ruffalo subsequently slammed Rogan's about-face in a post on Threads, saying, 'It's a little late now to pretend like project 2025 didn't exist and wasn't the play book all along.' On Tuesday, Rogan denounced the president's aggressive crackdown on immigration once again, this time condemning the Trump administration for detaining visa and green-card holders, despite a campaign promise of focusing on violent criminals. During the episode, Rogan claimed 'friends' and 'cops' in New York City have told him that increases in immigration have resulted in an 'elevated number of assaults and crimes and robberies' in the city. 'And so, what's the response to that? Well, now you have this insane policy where they're going to Home Depot and rounding people up, and it's kind of scary, you know, and people that are American citizens,' Rogan said. Rogan called Trump's aggressive enforcement 'an overcorrection.' 'You got a bunch of people that are totally innocent, they are going to get caught up in that. They have been, you know, they have been,' Rogan said. 'A lot of people that have green cards, a lot of people that are supposed to be over here.' Among those who have been caught up in Trump's immigration enforcement are university students who openly protested against Israel, including Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, a green-card holder who was detained after the administration claimed his beliefs and presence in the U.S. could hurt American foreign policy. Mohsen Mahdawi, another Columbia student who led peaceful pro-Palestinian protests on campus, was arrested during his citizenship interview. He was released after 16 days in detention, but said the administration's 'intimidation' would 'not silence' him. Rogan called it 'fucking crazy' that 'they're kicking students out that like write articles they don't like.' Though he did not name a specific case, the comment seemed to be a reference to Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk, who was taken by federal agents and held for more than six weeks after co-authoring an op-ed in her student newspaper calling on the university to divest from Israeli companies. 'They're writing something down, and they're not calling for violence either. And they're getting challenged. That's supposed to be how it happens,' Rogan said. 'You get challenged. Smarter people have better arguments or your argument stands.' Vecchione said that a university is 'supposed to be a place for discourse,' and Rogan agreed. 'You're deporting people because you don't like who they're criticizing,' Rogan said. 'Like that gets kind of shifty.' Related... Old Clip Of Stephen Miller Praising Torture Resurface Amid Aggressive Immigration Enforcement 'Sensitive' Memo Reveals How Many Border Agents Trump Is Using For Immigration Raids Volunteers Flock To Support Migrants Targeted By ICE At Immigration Courts
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kennedy could soon reconstruct US preventive care panel, STAT News reports
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could imminently overhaul a key federal advisory panel that recommends which preventive services insurers must pay for, health and medical news website STAT News reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the plans. Federal health officials are vetting new members for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the report said. It also cited David Mansdoerfer, who advises a group allied with Kennedy, as saying he knew people being considered for the panel but that he declined to name them. Mansdoerfer, who served during President Donald Trump's first administration as deputy assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, later told Reuters that he knew "a couple" of those being considered. He added that he was not actively involved in the process, which he said could take from a few weeks to two or three months. The Office of the White House Liaison at HHS is in charge of the vetting, said Mansdoerfer, now the chief strategy adviser to the Independent Medical Alliance, a group of physicians allied with Kennedy. This was also the case with candidates for advisory committees during his time at the department, he said. Asked if the people he knew of who were under consideration were physicians, Mansdoerfer said they were all clinical health professionals. He had earlier told STAT that the existing panel was "MD heavy" and that the reorganized one was likely to include other kinds of healthcare providers. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Kennedy planned to remove all of the panel's 16 members. An HHS spokesperson said Kennedy had not yet made a decision. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force includes medical experts serving staggered four-year terms on a volunteer basis. Its role in choosing what services will be covered by insurers was established under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. The 40-year-old group, whose recommendations provide guidance to doctors, looks at everything from routine screenings for breast cancer to drugs to prevent HIV infection. Solve the daily Crossword
