Water Resources Management in Palestine: Political, Technical and Financial Obstacles
The strategy of the water resources management in Palestine aims to satisfy the water requirements of all Palestinian citizens to secure health and economic prosperity.
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3.3
Water Resources Management in Palestine: Political, Technical and Financial Obstacles
Fawzy Naji DFN-GEOCONSULTING, Braunschweig, Germany
Abstract
The strategy of the water resources management in Palestine aims to satisfy the water requirements of all Palestinian citizens to secure health and economic prosperity. Political, technical and financial obstacles are facing the effective water resources management in Palestine. The distribution of the limited water resources between Israel and Palestine is unsatisfactory and biased in favor of Israel. Water available to the Palestinians does not meet their requirements. In regard to the water quality issue, the Palestinians are facing two major problems: the high salinity and the high concentration rate of nitrate. The concentration of chloride is up to 1,763 mg/l in Jordan Valley area, West Bank. The nitrate concentration in the domestic well in Khan Younis Refugee Camp, Gaza Strip is 600 mg/l. The high nitrate concentration in drinking water affects infants and causes methemoglobinemia. The major causes for salinization are over-pumping of the wells, seawater intrusion and geological factors. The main sources of nitrate pollution are fertilizers, wastewater and cesspits. To achieve an effective water resources management in Palestine, the following subjects have to be taken into consideration: • Strengthening the peace process in the Middle East and opening the doors to effective cooperation between the different countries in the region • Allocation of the water resources between Israel and Palestine on an equal per capita basis • Expanding the supply and distribution networks • Loss reduction • Public awareness • Storm water harvesting • Wastewater reuse • Seawater and brackish ground water desalination • Modem irrigation technologies F. Zereini et al. (eds.), Water in the Middle East and in North Africa © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004
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Fawzy Naji
3.3.1
Introduction
Palestine is located in a semi-arid region of the Middle East, with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Rainfall varies between 100 mmlyr at the Dead Sea and 700 mmlyr in the regions of Jerusalem, Ramallah and west of Jenin. The water resources are limited and the population is growing. Therefore an economic utilization of water represents one of the most important key policies in the development strategy of Palestine. After the Oslo II Agreement of 1995 between the Israelis and Palestinians five major problems have to be discussed within the final negotiations about the establishment of the Palestinian state. These problems are: 1. Jerusalem 2. Refugees 3. Settlements 4. Security and Borders 5. Water
3.3.2
Water Resources
Ground Water
The ground water basins lie partly in Palestine and the rest in Israel. The ground water resources can be subdivided into the following: The Mountain Aquifer System It extends from the foot of the Carmel Mountain near Haifa in the north to the area
of Bir Alsabe' (Beer Sheva) in the south, and from the Jordan River and Dead Sea in the east
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