Syria declares emergency for drought-hit northeast

Syria on Monday adopted emergency measures, including food distribution, to help people in the drought-hit northeast of the country, the official Sana news agency said.

It said the authorities “have begun to distribute food aid in the worst drought-affected regions in the northeast” as part of a series of emergency steps. “Nearly 5,200 food rations have been distributed in Al-Hasakah and 15,000 more rations will arrive in the next few days,” said provincial governor Najib Salloum. He added that each food ration comprised “150 kilograms of flour, 25 kg sugar, 25 kg semolina, 10 kg lentils, two kg animal fat, one kg tea, and one kg oil, worth in total 6,000 Syrian pounds (128 dollars)” distributed to the worst-affected families.

Syria’s northeast has been affected by drought for the past three years and 160 villages were abandoned by their inhabitants in 2007 and 2008 because of the climate change, according to a report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) published last week.

khaleejtimes

Morocco sets up carbon trading fund

Morocco's state-run pension fund Caisee de Depot et de Gestion (CDG) has set up a carbon trading fund with capital of MD300m ($35m). CDG will hold 50 per cent of the capital of Fonds Capital Carbone Maroc (FCCM). The European Investment Bank will hold a 25 per stake.

Caisse de Depots et Consignations, which heads up sustainable development in the country, will also hold 25 per cent. FCCM will promote and participate in projects connected with implementing the clean development mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which was agreed in 1997.

Under the mechanism, countries can trade their carbon credits on an international market. The fund will also support developers by buying their carbon credits from them. It will focus on projects in the renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and reforestation sectors.

Cyprus signs deal to ferry water from Greece

Drought-hit Cyprus signed an agreement with a Cypriot shipping firm to ferry eight million cubic metres of water from Greece to help ease the island's water crisis. Most households on the Mediterranean island, a major tourist destination, have water only four days a week after the government last month reduced supplies to local authorities by a third to try to tackle the shortage.The aim is for the additional water to start arriving from June to help the island endure a long hot summer.
"The shortage is in the order of 16 million cubic metres until the end of the year," said Agriculture Minister Michalis Polynikis after signing the deal with Ocean Tankers. "The Greek government has pledged to give us 8 million cubic metres. There is an option to increase this amount. Any increase depends on the goodwill of the Greek government and any needs that may arise," he added. Shipping water to Cyprus from Greece will take a 160 days to complete, said Ocean Tankers chairman Michalis Ioannides.

A chronic water shortage has been brought on by a two-year-long drought, unseasonal weather rising above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), and the failure of on-the-spot fines to deter those wasting water. Cyprus's reservoirs are now at 9.8 percent of capacity, down from 25 percent this time last year.

AFP

Morocco launches solar energy plant

King Mohamed VI on Friday, 28 March, laid the foundation stone of the Ain Beni Mathar thermo-solar electricity plant at a ceremony attended by many people, including the AfDB's Resident Representative in Morocco, Nono Matondo-Fundani. The ceremony, held at the site of the project, 86 km to the south of Oujda in eastern Morocco, signified the official commencement of works on the two-phased combined and integrated power station with an installed capacity to generate 472 MW of electricity, including 20 MW from the solar component.

The cost of the project is estimated at € 400 million. The Bank will partially finance the project with two loans amounting to € 287.85 million, of which € 36.45 million was approved in March 2005 and € 151.40 million in December 2007.m Other sources of funding include $ 43.20 million from the Global Environment Fund (GEF), a loan of € 43 million from the Spanish Development Agency (ICO) and the National Electricity Corporation (ONE) of Morocco.

Allafrica