Water supply and sanitation in the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories: Water and Sanitation
Water supply and sanitation in the Palestinian territories are characterized by severe water shortage and are highly influenced by the Israeli occupation. The water resources of
Palestine are fully controlled by Israel and the division of groundwater is subject to provisions in the
Oslo II Accord.
Generally, the water quality is considerably worse in the
Gaza strip when compared to the
West Bank. About a third to half of the delivered water in the Palestinian territories is
lost in the distribution network. The lasting blockade of the Gaza Strip and the
Gaza War have caused severe damage to the infrastructure in the Gaza Strip.
[8][9] Concerning wastewater, the existing treatment plants do not have the capacity to treat all of the produced wastewater, causing severe water pollution.
[7] The development of the sector highly depends on external financing.
[5]
Since the
1948 Arab–Israeli War, the issue of the development of the area's water resources, has been a critical issue in regional conflict and negotiations, initially involving
Syria,
Jordan and
Israel.
[10] After the
Six Day War, when Israel occupied the
Palestinian territories, water use and sanitation have been closely linked to developments in the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The water and land resources in the
West Bank in particular are considered to constitute the major obstacle to the resolution of conflict in the area.
[11] Palestinians claim they have a legal right to ownership, or claim to use of three water sources in the area
a)the groundwater reservoir of the
Mountain Aquifer, the Gaza Strip Coastal Aquifer and the
Jordan River to the amount of 700 MCM/Y, over 50% of natural water resources between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River.
[12]
In 1995, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) was established by a presidential decree. One year later, its functions, objectives and responsibilities were defined through a by-law, giving the PWA the mandate to manage water resources and execute the water policy.
[13]
Water resourcesEdit
Division in the Oslo II AccordEdit
The 1995
Oslo II Accord allows the Palestinians in the West Bank the use of up to 118 million cubic meters (mcm) water per year. 80 mcm was supposed to come from to drill new wells. However, the PWA was able to drill new wells for only 30 mcm at the expense of the existing springs and wells.
[14][15] In the Oslo II Accord, the Israelis are allotted four times the Palestinian portion or 80% of the joint-aquifer resources.
[16][17][18][19] However, 94% (340 mcm) of the Western Aquifer was allotted to the Israelis for use within Israel.
[15] The allowed quantities have not been adapted after the end of the supposed five years interim period. The parties established the
Joint Water Committee to carry out the provisions of the concerning article 40 of Annex III.
According to a World Bank report, Israel extracted 80% more water from the West Bank than agreed in the Oslo Accord, while Palestinian abstractions were within the agreed range.
[20] Contrary to expectations under Oslo II, the water actually abstracted by Palestinians in the West Bank has dropped between 1999 and 2007. Due to the Israeli over-extraction, aquifer levels are near
″the point where irreversible damage is done to the aquifer.″ Israeli wells in the West Bank have dried up local Palestinian wells and springs.
[20]
Water from the Jordan River basinEdit
See also:
Water politics in the Jordan River basin
Jordan River
The Upper Jordan River flows south into
Sea of Galilee, which provides the largest freshwater storage capacity along the Jordan River. Lake Tiberias drains into the Lower Jordan River, which winds further south through the Jordan Valley to its terminus in the Dead Sea. The Palestinians are denied any access to this water. About a quarter of the 420 million m3 Israel pumps from the Sea of Galilee goes to the local communities in Israel and to Jordan; the rest is diverted to Israel through the
National Water Carrier (NWC) before it can reach the West Bank. Virtually all water from the
Yarmouk River, north of the West Bank is diverted by Israel, Syria and Jordan. The water of the
Tirza Stream, the largest stream in the central Jordan Valley, fed by rainwater, is diverted by Israel to the Tirza Reservoir and used by settlements in the area for irrigation of crops and for raising fish.
[21]
Other surface waterEdit
In Gaza, the only source of surface water has been the
Wadi Gaza. There are claims that Israel diverts part of its water for agricultural purposes within Israel prior to its arrival to Gaza.
[22][23]