EMGA เสร็จสิ้นการเพิ่มทุน 9.4 ล้านยูโรสำหรับมูลนิธิ Kashf ด้วยเงินทุนจาก BIO

ลอนดอน, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — แหล่งเงินทุนจำนวน 9.4 ล้านยูโรสำหรับมูลนิธิ Kashf ได้ถูกจัดตั้งขึ้น กำหนดโครงสร้าง และเจรจาโดย Emerging Markets Global Advisory LLP (EMGA) ซึ่งเป็นธนาคารเพื่อการลงทุนในตลาดเกิดใหม่

เมื่อกล่าวถึงการทำธุรกรรมครั้งนี้นาย Shahzad Iqbal ซีเอฟโอของมูลนิธิ Kashf ได้กล่าวว่า “มูลนิธิ Kashf จดทะเบียนเป็นบริษัทการเงินรายย่อยที่ไม่ใช่ธนาคาร ซึ่งควบคุมโดยสำนักงานคณะกรรมการกำกับหลักทรัพย์และตลาดหลักทรัพย์แห่งปากีสถาน โดยก่อตั้งขึ้นในปี 1996 ในฐานะสถาบันไมโครไฟแนนซ์เฉพาะทางแห่งแรกของปากีสถาน โดยเริ่มดำเนินการในฐานะผู้จำลองแบบ Grameen และตั้งแต่นั้นเป็นต้นมา Kashf ก็ประสบความสำเร็จในตลาดเฉพาะกลุ่มที่มีความพิเศษของตนเองในภาคการเงินรายย่อยในปากีสถาน โดยนำเสนอชุดผลิตภัณฑ์และบริการที่เป็นนวัตกรรมและปฏิรูปเพื่อครัวเรือนที่มีรายได้น้อยโดยเฉพาะผู้หญิง ขณะนี้มีผู้กู้ที่เป็นผู้หญิงมากกว่า 600,00+ รายทั่วทั้ง 360+ สาขาด้วย GLP 90+ ล้านเหรียญสหรัฐ”

“อยากจะแบ่งปันว่าผมรู้สึกยินดีเป็นอย่างยิ่งที่ได้ร่วมงานกับ EMGA ในการทำธุรกรรมใหม่ ๆ เพื่อประชาสัมพันธ์และขยายเครือข่ายของเรา นี่เป็นธุรกรรมครั้งแรกที่เราทำกับ BIO และเป็นสกุลเงินยูโรด้วย ผมเชื่อว่า BIO และ Kashf จะทำร่วมงานกันเพื่อสร้างความสัมพันธ์ที่แน่นแฟ้นเพื่อส่งเสริมการไม่แบ่งแยกทางการเงินในปากีสถาน และโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งสำหรับผู้หญิง ธุรกรรมนี้จะช่วยให้มูลนิธิ Kashf สามารถขยายการประชาสัมพันธ์ได้ ไม่เพียงแค่ในพื้นที่ที่ดำเนินงานอยู่แล้ว แต่ยังรวมไปถึงภูมิภาคใหม่ทั่วทั้งปากีสถานด้วย”

Sajeev Chakkalakal กรรมการผู้จัดการของ Emerging Markets Global Advisory LLP (EMGA) และหัวหน้าฝ่ายวาณิชธนกิจกล่าวว่า “รู้สึกยินดีเป็นอย่างยิ่งที่ได้ร่วมเป็นพันธมิตรระยะยาวกับมูลนิธิ Kashf และส่งมอบโซลูชันทางการเงินรูปแบบใหม่นี้ ถึงแม้สภาพแวดล้อมทางเศรษฐกิจจะมีความผันผวนทั้งภายในปากีสถานและทั่วโลก” Jeremy Dobson กรรมการผู้จัดการของ Emerging Markets Global Advisory Limited (EMGA) ยังให้ความเห็นเกี่ยวกับธุรกรรมดังกล่าวว่า “รู้สึกยินดีเป็นอย่างยิ่งที่ได้ร่วมงานกับมูลนิธิ Kashf อีกครั้งในการทำธุรกรรมครั้งล่าสุดนี้ และช่วยสนับสนุนฐานลูกค้าผู้ประกอบการรายย่อยที่เป็นผู้หญิง”

Frédéric Vereecke เจ้าหน้าที่การลงทุนจาก Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO) ให้ความเห็นว่า “เรายินดีอย่างยิ่งที่มีโอกาสสนับสนุน Kashf Foundation ในการเสริมสร้างพลังอำนาจแก่สตรีและครอบครัวด้วยการให้บริการทางการเงินที่มีคุณภาพแก่ครัวเรือนที่มีรายได้น้อยในปากีสถาน”

มูลนิธิ Kashf จดทะเบียนเป็นบริษัทการเงินรายย่อยที่ไม่ใช่ธนาคาร ซึ่งควบคุมดูแลโดยสำนักงานคณะกรรมการกำกับหลักทรัพย์และตลาดหลักทรัพย์แห่งปากีสถาน โดยก่อตั้งขึ้นในปี 1996 ในฐานะสถาบันการเงินรายย่อยเฉพาะทางแห่งแรกของปากีสถาน ซึ่งเริ่มดำเนินการโดยมีต้นแบบมาจาก Grameen และนับตั้งแต่นั้นเป็นต้นมา Kashf ก็ได้ประสบความสำเร็จในตลาดเฉพาะกลุ่มที่มีความพิเศษของตนเองในภาคการเงินรายย่อยในปากีสถาน โดยนำเสนอชุดผลิตภัณฑ์และบริการที่เป็นนวัตกรรมและปฏิรูปเพื่อครัวเรือนที่มีรายได้น้อยโดยเฉพาะผู้หญิง

Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO) สนับสนุนภาคเอกชนที่เข้มแข็งในประเทศกำลังพัฒนาและประเทศเกิดใหม่ เพื่อให้สามารถเข้าถึงการเติบโตและการพัฒนาอย่างยั่งยืนภายใต้กรอบเป้าหมายการพัฒนาอย่างยั่งยืน บริษัทประสบผลสำเร็จจากการลงทุนในวิสาหกิจขนาดกลางและขนาดย่อม สถาบันการเงิน และโครงการโครงสร้างพื้นฐาน ซึ่งมีส่วนสนับสนุนการเติบโตทางเศรษฐกิจและสังคมในประเทศกำลังพัฒนา

Emerging Markets Global Advisory Limited (EMGA) ซึ่งมีสำนักงานในนิวยอร์กและลอนดอน ให้บริการช่วยเหลือสถาบันทางการเงินและบริษัทต่าง ๆ ที่ต้องการระดมทุนในรูปแบบตราสารหนี้หรือตราสารทุน EMGA ให้บริการแก่ลูกค้าภายในหลายประเทศที่มีเศรษฐกิจกำลังพัฒนาอย่างรวดเร็ว รวมถึงปากีสถาน ด้วยผลงานอันเป็นที่ประจักษ์ด้านการจัดหาเงินทุนและการให้คำปรึกษาเชิงกลยุทธ์ในวัฏจักรเศรษฐกิจที่หลากหลาย EMGA ยังคงขยายการดำเนินงานและเสนอบริการออกไปอย่างต่อเนื่อง เพื่อสร้างจุดยืนที่มั่นคงในตลาดในฐานะธนาคารเพื่อการลงทุนที่เน้นตลาดเกิดใหม่สำหรับอุตสาหกรรมที่โดดเด่น

ติดต่อสอบถามได้ที่
info@emergingmarketsglobaladvisory.com

Verisk Estimates Industry Insured Losses to Onshore Property for Hurricane Ian Will Range from USD 42 Billion to USD 57 Billion

The industry loss estimate includes estimated wind, storm surge, and inland flood losses resulting from Ian’s landfalls in both Florida and South Carolina; Majority of insured losses in estimate caused by wind damage in Florida

BOSTON, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Verisk (Nasdaq:VRSK) estimates that insured losses to onshore property for Hurricane Ian will range from USD 42 billion to USD 57 billion. The industry loss estimate from Verisk Extreme Event Solutions includes estimated wind, storm surge, and inland flood losses resulting from Ian’s landfalls in both Florida and South Carolina. The loss estimate excludes certain elements, such as losses to the National Flood Insurance Program and any potential impacts of litigation or social inflation, that could cause the total insured industry loss to exceed USD 60 billion.

Wind damage of USD 38 to 51 billion comprises the majority of the loss estimate. Storm surge (excluding losses from the NFIP) account for USD 3 to 5.5 billion of the loss estimate, and inland flood less than USD 1 billion. Approximately 1 percent of the total industry loss will come from the impacts of Ian’s South Carolina landfall.

Overview of the damage 

Wind damage in varying degree was observed in all the areas impacted by Hurricane Ian’s windfield. Damage was more severe in and around the areas where Ian made landfall in southwest Florida. It ranged from significant loss of roof covers in residential homes to torn up roof membranes in commercial structures. Extensive damage is also seen to elements of building components and cladding.

Storm surge also caused massive destruction to communities along the western coast of Florida where Ian made landfall. Residential construction in these areas are predominantly founded on slabs which do not afford a lot of elevation above the local ground surface. Surge damage caused collapse of several rows of beachfront residential homes. In some cases, homes were dislodged from their foundations.

Manufactured homes constitute a significant portion of the residential inventory in southwest Florida when Ian made landfall. Several manufactured home parks in these areas saw massive damage including loss of roofs, damage to wall siding and near total destruction.

What’s included in Verisk’s estimate

Included in the estimate are losses to onshore residential, commercial, and industrial properties and automobiles for their building, contents, and time element coverage. The estimate reflects the impacts of inflation on labor and materials over the past two years, as well as the effects of demand surge, when large numbers of property owners look to rebuild at the same time.

Verisk’s modeled insured loss estimates do not include:

  • Losses to inland marine, ocean-going marine cargo and hull, and pleasure boats
  • Loss adjustment expenses
  • Losses exacerbated by litigation, fraudulent assignment of benefits, or social inflation
  • Losses paid out by the National Flood Insurance Program
  • Storm surge leakage losses paid on wind-only policies due to government intervention
  • Losses to uninsured properties
  • Losses to infrastructure
  • Losses from extra-contractual obligations
  • Losses from hazardous waste cleanup, vandalism, or civil commotion, whether directly or indirectly caused by the event
  • Losses resulting from the compromise of existing defenses (e.g., natural and man-made levees)
  • Other non-modeled losses, including those resulting from tornadoes spawned by the storm
  • Losses for U.S. offshore assets and non-U.S. property

How the hurricane unfolded and broke records

Heavy rain, storm surge, and tropical storm conditions began across portions of southwest Florida late Tuesday afternoon. Overnight Ian slid past the Florida Keys. Despite receiving a glancing blow from Ian, Key West recorded its third-highest storm surge since 1913 at just over 3 feet and peak wind gusts into the upper-60s mph.

Conditions deteriorated rapidly in western Florida as Wednesday morning progressed, with heavy rainfall spreading northward and major-hurricane-force winds from Ian’s eyewall coming onshore late morning near Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel Island. To the south, in Naples and surrounding areas, Ian’s powerful winds were oriented perpendicular to the coast, which exacerbated the water inundation caused by storm surge as water from the Gulf was effectively blown inland. As a result, Naples saw over 6 feet of catastrophic storm surge, shattering the previous record.

Ian officially made landfall at Cayo Costa, Florida at 3:05 PM local time as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. Around this time, a 124-mph wind gust was observed in Punta Gorda before the station failed. Ian then slowly proceeded inland, following a northeasterly track that led the storm’s massive 30-mile-wide eye (wider than the east-west extent of Lake Okeechobee) over Gasparilla Sound and Punta Gorda.

Owing to the storm’s slow motion, areas like Port Charlotte and Englewood remained in Ian’s eyewall for several hours; this resulted in 18 – 20 inches of rainfall in addition to prolonged exposure to the powerful wind gusts located in Ian’s northwestern eyewall. Ian managed to stay about 65 miles southwest of Tampa, which owing to Ian’s large wind field was still close enough to bring wind gusts into the upper-70s mph and 2 – 5 inches of rainfall; before that, Tampa Bay was temporarily drained of water because of inverse storm surge from Ian.

On Thursday morning, Ian moved off the Atlantic coast near Cape Canaveral – a bit further south than previously expected. As Ian moved back over the ocean on Thursday, conditions were favorable enough for some additional strengthening and Ian was upgraded to a hurricane as of Thursday evening.

Ian made a second landfall on Friday afternoon at 2:05 pm EDT near Georgetown, SC as a mid-range Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. Heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds of more than 50 mph impacted portions of the Carolinas. With these impacts ongoing, Ian was officially declared post-tropical at 5pm as the center moved into northeast South Carolina.

Hurricane Ian brought significant storm surge damage to southwest Florida, to both residential and commercial exposures.  However, the flood insurance take-up on residential risks in Florida are low.

About Extreme Event Solutions at Verisk

Extreme event solutions at Verisk provides risk modeling solutions that help individuals, businesses, and society become more resilient to extreme events. In 1987, Verisk founded the catastrophe modeling industry and today models the risk from natural catastrophes, supply chain disruptions, terrorism, pandemics, and casualty catastrophes. Insurance, reinsurance, financial, corporate, and government clients rely on Verisk’s advanced science, software, and consulting services for catastrophe risk management, insurance-linked securities, longevity modeling, site-specific engineering analyses, and agricultural risk management. Verisk’s extreme event solutions team is headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.air-worldwide.com. For more information about Verisk, a leading data analytics provider serving customers in insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services, please visit www.verisk.com

For more information, contact: 
Mary Keller 
Verisk Extreme Event Solutions 
617-267-6645 
Mary.Keller@verisk.com

Four-time Olympian Scotty James partners with OKX

Avid crypto and NFTs investor James will delve further into the world of crypto investment with OKX

VICTORIA, Seychelles, Oct. 02, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — OKX, the world-leading cryptocurrency platform, today announced a partnership with internationally decorated snowboarder Scotty James.

OKX will work with Scotty James to present the possibilities of web3 and crypto trading to winter sports fans while helping them make better and more responsible investment decisions. The four-time Olympian begins in his new ambassadorial role as OKX announces itself to the world with the launch of its Global Brand Campaign.

Haider Rafique, Chief Marketing Officer at OKX, said: “Our realization this year as we went on to partner with top athletes in the world was, wow, there is an opportunity to show traders and investors how athletes train with discipline and ways they can learn from these athletes to improve their mental and physical conditioning. If most traders train like athletes, our category and communities will grow in a much healthier way than the current status quo of emotional trading. Scotty is so approachable, and likeable yet, a world-class athlete. He also got quite excited about our vision and wanted to participate with us in helping create a generation of healthy, disciplined, and thoughtful investors and traders who take these markets seriously and train properly before getting into the ring, so to speak.”

A resilient athlete with an always-on mentality, James epitomizes the mentality that is needed for success. Also a popular social media personality and close friend of Formula 1 driver and fellow OKX ambassador Daniel Ricciardo, James hasn’t forgotten how to have fun with it.

Scotty James said: Ever since my first big professional win, I realized that if I wanted to stay on top, I’d have to revamp my entire training regimen both physically and mentally. I am constantly pushing myself to live a healthy lifestyle, working to stay innovative and doing everything that I can to sustain a strong work ethic, and I’m hyper focused on innovating and always trying to learn new things. These are values that I apply both in the half-pipes and on the charts, and they are also values that are shared by OKX. That is what makes this partnership the perfect fit. I couldn’t be more excited to push the limits here with OKX and bring Crypto into the sport that I love.”

OKX will guide James as he embraces the opportunities provided by web3, such as launching unique NFTs and collaborating on plans for new winter sports experiences within the metaverse.

Fans will be able to follow Scotty James as he continues his crypto trading journey. This will both give them insights into his life off the half-pipes and provide education on how to trade better.

For further information, please contact:
Media@okx.com

About OKX
OKX is the second biggest global crypto exchange by trading volume and a leading web3 ecosystem. Trusted by more than 20 million global customers, OKX is known for being the fastest and most reliable crypto trading app for investors and professional traders everywhere. As a top partner of English Premier League champions Manchester City F.C., McLaren Formula 1, golfer Ian Poulter, Olympian Scotty James, and F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo, OKX aims to supercharge the fan experience with new financial and engagement opportunities. OKX is also the top partner of the Tribeca Festival as part of an initiative to bring more creators into web3. Beyond OKX’s exchange, the OKX Wallet is the platform’s latest offering for people looking to explore the world of NFTs and the metaverse while trading GameFi and DeFi tokens.

To learn more about OKX, download our app or visit: okx.com

EMGA completes EUR 9.4M capital raise for Kashf Foundation with financing from BIO

LONDON, Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The EURO 9.4 million funding facility for Kashf Foundation was originated, structured, and negotiated by Emerging Markets Global Advisory LLP (EMGA), the emerging market investment bank.

Speaking on the transaction, Mr Shahzad Iqbal, CFO of Kashf Foundation said, “Kashf Foundation is registered as a Non-Banking Micro Finance Company regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. Set up in 1996 as the first specialized microfinance institution of Pakistan it began its operations as a Grameen replicator and since then, Kashf has successfully carved out a distinct and unique niche for itself in the microfinance sector in Pakistan by offering a suite of innovative and transformative products and services to low-income households especially for women. It has a current outreach of over 600,00+ female borrowers across its 360+ branches with a GLP of USD 90+ million.”

“Just to share that it has always been a pleasure working with EMGA on new transactions to expand our network and outreach. This is the first ever transaction that we are doing with BIO and that too, in Euros. I believe BIO and Kashf will work together and build a strong relationship to increase the financial inclusion in Pakistan and particularly for women. This transaction will help Kashf Foundation to expand its outreach not only in its existing operational areas but also in the new geographical regions across Pakistan.”

Emerging Markets Global Advisory LLP (EMGA)’s Managing Director and Head of Investment Banking Sajeev Chakkalakal said, “It has been a pleasure to continue our long-term partnership with Kashf Foundation and deliver this new financing solution despite the volatile economic environment both within Pakistan as well as globally.” Also commentating on the transaction, Emerging Markets Global Advisory Limited (EMGA)’s Managing Director Jeremy Dobson said, “It was a real pleasure to work with Kashf Foundation again on this latest transaction and help support their female micro-entrepreneur client base.”

Frédéric Vereecke, Investment Officer from the Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO) commented, “We welcome the opportunity to support Kashf Foundation in empowering women and their families by providing quality financial services to low-income households in Pakistan.”

Kashf Foundation is registered as a Non-Banking Micro Finance Company regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan. Set up in 1996 as the first specialized microfinance institution of Pakistan it began its operations as a Grameen replicator and since then, Kashf has successfully carved out a distinct and unique niche for itself in the microfinance sector in Pakistan by offering a suite of innovative and transformative products and services to low-income households especially women.

Belgian Investment Company for Developing countries (BIO) supports a strong private sector in developing and emerging countries, to enable them to gain access to growth and sustainable development within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. They achieve this by investing in small and medium-sized enterprises, financial institutions, and infrastructure projects, contributing to socio-economic growth in developing countries.

Emerging Markets Global Advisory Limited (EMGA), with offices in New York and London helps financial institutions and corporates that seek new debt or equity capital. EMGA provides its services, to clients within many of the worlds rapidly developing economies, including Pakistan. With a proven track record in capital formation and strategic advisory throughout diverse economic cycles, EMGA continues to expand its geographic reach and service offering, as they solidify their place in the market as one of the industries preeminent emerging markets focused investment banks.

Contact details
info@emergingmarketsglobaladvisory.com

Lakesemi Launches the Industry-First 1200V SiC Full Bridge and Rectifier Module

silicon carbide full bridge with rectifier module——LSCT30PV120B9G

silicon carbide full bridge with rectifier module——LSCT30PV120B9G

HEFEI, China, Oct. 01, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lakesemi announced that it has developed a new generation silicon carbide full bridge with rectifier module — LSCT30PV120B9G.

This new module has a very low on-resistance. In addition, it also has the characteristics of low capacitance, high-speed switching, and high switching frequency, which is helpful to improve the rapid response of equipment and energy saving. Therefore, it has a wide range of applications, such as motor drives, switching mode power supply, and UPS.

LSCT30PV120B9G is superior in silicon carbide full bridge with rectifier module. Its VDSS index reached 1200V. The model has On State Resistance of 88mΩ and a Total Gate Charge of 347nc. Thermal engineers might get benefit from its ultra-low transient thermal impedance of 0.28°C/W at 1ms for thermal shock.

Regarding the rectifier, its Repetitive Peak Reverse Voltage reaches 1800V, the Maximum RMS Forward Current is 50A, and Surge Current (@tp=10 ms) is 315A. The rectifier can maintain good stability in complex working environments.

This module’s operating temperature range (Ta) is -40 °C to +125 °C, ensuring the use in industry and harsh thermal environments. Meantime, it uses advanced packaging technology, its size just 62.8 mm ×56.7 mm × 16.5 mm, allowing it to be used where space is tight.

The LSCT30PV120B9G has officially gone on sale. For more information, please visit:
http://www.lakesemi.com/index.php?case=archive&act=show&aid=572

Lakesemi, a Hefei, China-based startup company, focuses on power semiconductors. Lakesemi is a pioneer of wide-bandgap semiconductor products, such as GaN or SiC-based MOSFET. It is also providing silicon-based shielded gate transistors, IGBTs, IGBT modules, IPM, etc.

Contact Information:
Rentai Xiao
General Office Director,Lakesemi
xiaort@lakesemi.com
(+86)15874257525

Hongwei Zhang
Deputy General Manager,Lakesemi
zhanghw@lakesemi.com
(+86)13901948268

Related Images

Image 1: silicon carbide full bridge with rectifier module——LSCT30PV120B9G

The industry-first 1200V SiC Full Bridge and Rectifier Module

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Lebanon’s Dwindling Rain Leaves Farmers Struggling for Water

Farmers in a small town perched on a northern Lebanese mountain have long refused to accept defeat even as the government abandoned them to a life off the grid.
Harf Beit Hasna receives almost no basic services. No water or sewage system, no streetlight or garbage collection. The only public school is closed. The nearest pharmacy is a long drive down a winding mountain road.
“We live on another planet,” said Nazih Sabra, a local farmer. “The state has completely forgotten us, and so have the politicians and municipalities.”
Its around 2,500 residents have gotten by because of an ingenious solution: They dug trenches, lined them with plastic and use them to collect rainwater. For decades, the rainwater enabled them to grow enough crops for themselves, with a surplus to sell.
But where government neglect didn’t kill Harf Beit Hasna, the combination of climate change and economic disaster now threatens to.
In recent years, rainfall in Lebanon has decreased, straining even the most water-rich country in the Middle East. At the same time, the country’s economy has fallen apart the past two and a half years; families whose livelihoods have been wrecked struggle to afford basics as prices spiral.
Harf Beit Hasna, on a remote mountain plateau above steep valleys, has taken pride in making it on its own with its rain-water pools. The town is dotted with them, most of them the size of a backyard swimming pool.
Sabra said he remembers in his childhood how his grandfather and other farmers could raise livestock and sustain a decent living.
But recent years have gotten harder. As rain declined and temperatures warmed, farmers adapted. They grew less of water-demanding produce like tomatoes and cucumbers and planted tobacco, a more drought-resistant plant.
Now they can barely grow enough to get by.
“If there isn’t rain, you use whatever you have left stored and work with a deficit,” Sabra said. “You can’t even afford to farm anymore.”
Sabra’s field is barren and dry, save some tobacco plants and potatoes. He tried to plant a small patch of tomatoes for his family’s use. But to save water, he had to let them die. The rotting tomatoes swarm with pests.
“There’s nothing we can do with them”, Sabra said, before taking a long drag off his cigarette.
He has a small patch of eggplants surrounded by barren, cracking soil. He hopes he can sell them in the nearby city of Tripoli to buy more potable water for his family this month.
“Those eggplants wouldn’t have been there without the ponds,” he says with a smile. His pool, which can hold around 200 cubic meters of water, was only about a quarter full. The water was green, because he’s been drawing on it slowly, trying to ration out what’s left.
From his field, Sabra can see the Mediterranean Sea on the horizon and, below him, a valley where there are freshwater springs. But gasoline is too expensive for him to drive daily to get water from there. He struggles to afford school for his children. His home hasn’t had electricity for weeks because no power comes from the state network, and he can’t afford fuel for his personal generator.
Government services and infrastructure across Lebanon are decrepit and faltering. But Harf Bait Hasna’s situation is particularly bad.
It’s remote and hard to reach. Administratively, it’s caught between two different municipalities, neither of which wants to deal with it. And, residents say, it has no political patron — a crucial need for any community to get anything in Lebanon’s factionalized politics. Sabra and other farmers say politicians for years have ignored their requests for a well or a connection to the state’s water network.
At Harf Beit Hasna, government neglect and climate change have combined to leave “an area very challenged with water security,” said Sammy Kayed, at the American University of Beirut’s Nature Conservation Center.
The disaster in the town is “much more profound (because) you have an entire community that is reliant on rain-fed agriculture” but can no longer rely on rain, he said.
Kayed, the co-founder and managing director of the Conservation Center’s Environment Academy, is trying to find donors to fund a solar-powered well for the town and to draw officials’ attention to get it connected to the state water network.
Across Lebanon, periods of rainfall have shrunk and the number of consecutive days of high temperatures have increased, said Vahakn Kabakian, the U.N. Development Program’s Lebanon climate change adviser.
A recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said water scarcity, pollution, and inequitable water usage add to the difficulties of Lebanon’s agricultural communities. The agriculture sector amounts only to a tiny fraction of the country’s economy and so is often overlooked, and it like the rest of Lebanon’s producers and consumers are struggling with skyrocketing costs.
In Lebanon’s breadbasket in the eastern Bekaa Valley, farmers say their work is disrupted by strange weather patterns because of climate change.
“Rain has declined in its usual period, and we’re seeing our soil dry up and crack. But then we somehow got more rain than usual in June,” Ibrahim Tarchichi, head of the Bekaa Farmers Association told the AP. “We haven’t seen anything like this before in the Bekaa.”
He doesn’t expect anything from Lebanon’s politicians. “Here, you can only expect help from God.”
The government for years has pledged to diversify its economy and invest more in the ailing agriculture sector. But since the economy fell out, the divided ruling clique has hardly been able to formulate any policies, failing to pass a 2022 budget so far and resisting reforms demanded for an International Monetary Fund bailout.
In the meantime, Sabra takes some water from one of his ponds and sighs. He has almost run out of water from the last rainy season in the winter. This is his only lifeline to last until the rains come again.
“There is nothing left for us but the ponds,” he said.

Source: Voice of America