Sahra News Briefs:

Govt launches farmer climate change training program

Posted Tue Jul 29, 2008 5:00pm AEST

The Federal Government has launched a $26 million scheme to give farmers access to training programs to deal with the impacts of climate change.

Under the scheme, primary producers will receive grants to attend courses to help them understand the implications of climate change and train them to use new technology.

Agriculture Minister Tony Burke says it is important farmers are equipped to deal with the changing environment.

"FarmReady is about how you deal with climate change itself," he said.

"How do you adapt to the challenges that you are facing, as well as looking at methods as to how you can responsibly reduce your emissions.

"[It will] look at methods as to how you can financially manage your farm business in a way that deals with droughts that are going to come along more often than they used to."

Côte d'Ivoire: Lutte contre la pollution - Une unité de police annoncée

(Abidjan)
30 Juillet 2008
Publié sur le web le 31 Juillet 2008

Bruno Kouadio

Sept agents des affaires maritimes qui constituent les premiers éléments de l'Unité de police anti-pollution (Unipol) ont prêté serment, vendredi dernier, au Palais de justice Plateau.

Ces agents qui seront plus tard rejoints par six gendarmes, six policiers et six éléments des eaux et forêts ont été investis de la mission de lutter contre la pollution dans les milieux récepteurs eau, sol et air.

English:
Cote d'Ivoire: Fight against pollution -- A police unit announced

Cote d'Ivoire - The Cote d'Ivoire has created a new Anti-Pollution Police Unit (UNIPOL) consisting of two dozen maritime experts, policemen, and staff from the Department of Waters and Forests. Colonel Bohoussou Alexandre, the director, announced that their mission was to help safeguard the seas, rivers, soil, and air from pollution by inspecting discharges from vessels, fining motorists for messy exhausts, and other specific enforcement duties.
  - summary by Louise Shaler
Source: allAfrica.com by Bruno Kouadio
 

Palestinians call on Israel to rethink water deal

07/29/2008

Palestinian Authority - Palestinians in the West Bank are suffering from a severe drought that's reducing an already meager supply of water, said Shada Ateli, the head of the Palestinian Water Authority. He reported that since mid-May, many Palestinians have been going without water for days at a time and urged Israel, which controls 90% of the region's water sources, to renegotiate an interim water agreement. Under the agreement, signed in 1995, the Palestinians receive a fixed allocation. West Bank residents use around 15 gallons of water per person per day, in contrast to the 60 gallons used in Israeli cities. A recent report by the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem described the inequity as unfair. Uri Shani of Israel's Water Authority retorted that Palestinians were actually receiving more water than their agreed share and that the Palestinian Authority was not cracking down on herders who stole water or making any attempt to recycle wastewater for irrigation.
  - summary by Louise Shaler
Source: Tehran Times
Original Language: English

'India's water crisis can incite more conflicts'

07/28/2008

India - In India, a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) warned that India's water crisis could get more complex and lead to more interstate conflicts if prompt measures are not taken to tackle the problem. The study said that although India has made progress in supplying safe water, there remains a gross disparity in coverage across the country. Secretary-General D.S. Rawat of ASSOCHAM blamed extremely poor management, unclear laws, government corruption, a lack of incentives to promote water conservation, and pollution by industrial and human wastes for the water shortage. Rawat also said that a rapidly growing economy and large farm sector were contributing to the crisis.
  - summary by MB
Source: Yahoo News
Original Language: English