Security of water resources for West Bank Palestinians

2022 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
West Bank

Water Rights in the West Bank and in Gaza

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
BIRGIT SCHLÜTTER
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
International Law ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Water Rights ◽  
The West ◽  
Palestinian Territories ◽  
Peace Negotiations ◽  
The World ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
International Decade

With the launch of the UN International Decade for Water on 22 March 2005, awareness is raised in the international community of the growing demand and scarcity of water for people throughout the world. Water is a particularly scarce resource in both Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The use of the water resources of the West Bank and Gaza has been part and parcel of the Israeli–Palestinian peace negotiations. With the beginning of new peace negotiations under Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, the topic of water and its allocation to Palestinians and Israelis is back on the negotiation table. The present article will point to the water crisis in Israel and the Palestinian Territories and analyse core provisions of international law which govern the use of water resources. Finally, it will outline how an allocation of water rights according to principles of international law could take place.

scholarly journals Will the water resources of Israel, Palestine and Jordan remain sufficient to permit economic and social development for the foreseeable future?

Water Policy ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Chenoweth
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Scenario Analysis ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Gaza Strip ◽  
Peace Agreement ◽  
The West ◽  
The Status ◽  
Climatic Scenarios ◽  
West Bank And Gaza ◽  
The Gaza Strip

Scenario analysis suggests that by 2050 the population of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Jordan will have grown from 17.2 million to between 21.1 and 38.5 million people. These population scenarios are compared to a range of water resource scenarios that consider the effect of climate change, a possible redistribution of the region's shared water resources as a result of a peace agreement, or the status quo. This scenario analysis shows that under all possible population-water scenarios combinations considered, the water resources of Jordan and Israel remain above the minimum threshold required for social and economic development. In the case of the West Bank, water resources may also remain sufficient for all population and climatic scenarios if the West Bank gains a greater portion of the shared water resources. In the Gaza Strip, however, desalination or water imports are required.

scholarly journals Rainwater Harvesting to Address Current and Forecasted Domestic Water Scarcity: Application to Arid and Semi-Arid Areas

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (24) ◽  
pp. 3583
Author(s):  
Tariq Judeh ◽  
Isam Shahrour
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Demand ◽  
Rainwater Harvesting ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Arid Areas ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
The West ◽  
Semi Arid

This paper discusses the effectiveness of rooftops rainwater harvesting (RRWH) in addressing domestic water scarcity, emphasizing the West Bank (Palestine) as an example of arid to semi-arid areas with limited water resources. The paper deals with the actual and future water demand by considering climate-change impact and urban growth. The analysis is based on the evaluation of (i) the supply–demand balance index (SDBI), which designates the ratio between the total water supply (TWS) and total water demand (TWD), and (ii) the potential of RRWH. Applying this methodology to the West Bank shows that the potential RRWH can contribute by about 40 million cubic meters/year in 2020, which is approximately the same amount of water as the municipal water supply (42 million cubic meters/year). This contribution can effectively reduce the suffering governorates from 64% to 27% in 2020. Furthermore, it can support water-related decision-makers in the arid to semi-arid areas in formulating efficient and sustainable water resources strategies. The analysis also shows that the domestic water scarcity in 2050 will be worse than in 2020 for all governorates. For example, 73% of the West Bank governorates are expected to suffer from extreme to acute water scarcity in 2050 compared to 64% in 2020. Thus, RRWH appears to be highly efficient in mitigating the current and future domestic water scarcity in the West Bank.

The quality and sustainability of the water resources available to Arab villages to the west of the divide in the southern West Bank

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 331-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Scarpa
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Subsistence Farming ◽  
The West ◽  
Chemical Pollutants ◽  
Quality Of Water

Springs discharging to the Mediterranean Sea drainage systems provide domestic and irrigation water for a group of Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank. Analysis of the water sampled from 70 of these springs at three-monthly intervals from September 1998 to May 1999 determined its suitability for the various uses to which it is put, based on internationally accepted chemical and biological standards. The 1998–99 rainy season was one of the driest on record, causing hardship to those dependent on springs, which diminished in flow or completely dried up. The springs in the area selected have not received the attention their significance deserves. Some of these rural agricultural villages are little removed from subsistence farming. All of these springs are contaminated with bacteria, some dangerously. Chemical pollutants were also observed in many of the springs. There are some rain-fed cisterns, but these too are often contaminated. A few villages receive some water from the network. This study considers the steps which ought to be taken to improve the quality of water, especially drinking water, and suggests possibilities for increasing the amount of water available. It also seeks to determine to what extent these villages can survive as demands for water increase.

Infrastructure development after Oslo B in the West Bank governates of the Palestinian National Authority

2000 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 161-166
Author(s):  
M. Ja'as
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
West Bank ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
National Authority ◽  
The West ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
The Status ◽  
Wastewater Infrastructure ◽  
Water And Wastewater ◽  
Interim Period

Water and wastewater infrastructure was either nonexistent or in a state of deterioration at the time of the establishment of the Palestinian Water Authority. Despite the lack of sufficient water supplies, the Palestinian Water Authority has been working to deliver new water supplies to unserved areas and at the same time is pushing a program of rehabilitation in order to reduce the quantities of either lost or unmetered water. A presentation will be made of the immediate needs of the Palestinian Water Authority for Palestinians in the West Bank districts. A summary will be made of the unserved towns and villages, of the ongoing rehabilitation projects, and a brief outline of the larger packaged projects that should be completed in the next couple of years. As a conclusion, a review will be made ofArticle 40 of Oslo B illustrating the status of the delivery of “allocated” water quantities during this “interim period” before the final status negotiations, where the rights of the Palestinians in the water resources of the region will be detailed.

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