PALESTINE Sustainable development
Sustainable development of the Palestinian water sector of the Palestinian water sector under arid/semi
under arid/semi- -arid conditions: arid conditions:
an environmental an and socio- and socio -economic approach economic approach
Amjad Aliewi
1Statement
Conclusions and recommendations
Text -Setting
Water resources and demand in Palestine
Environmental challenges
Socio-economic challenges
Economy Level
• Decline in Gross National Income (GNI)
• Unemployment that reached 37% (and even higher)
• Real per capita income is 46% lower
• Poverty is affecting 60% of the population
• Imports and exports are down by one-third
• Investments are down by 60%
In these circumstance, agriculture plays the most important role to provide subsistence livelihoods and essentials. However, agriculture is constrained by the overall limitations on land and water resources.
Progress
Social level
40% of the Palestinian communities are not served with essential water supply and sanitation.
There is a need to enhance, strengthen and develop:
• Financial resources
• Information
• Gender equality
• Capacity building
• Participation approaches and partnerships.
Political environment and regional cooperation
•Poor sanitation services
• Poor management of sewage and solid waste
• Over application of fertilizers and pesticides in the agricultural sector
• Pollution to Aquifers and their environment.
• M & I Supply is distributed between Israeli Authorities and the PWA.
• Demand in Palestine exceeds the available water supply by 336 Mcm/yr in 2005
• Agriculture accounts for 59% of total water supply
• High rate of population growth, 3-3.5%
• Saline intrusion in Gaza and saline up coming in Jordan Rift Valley
• Climate change is expected to lead to more irregular and less rainfall creating major constraints for agriculture and water supply
• Desertification increases as a result of loosing 50% of the grazing area to Israeli settlements and military camps and “nature reserves”.
1
Technical Advisor, Palestinian Water Authority, Palestine
Environmental challenges Socio-economic challenges Improving water resources and demand management
• Water demand in Palestine exceeds the available water supply. This is not due to scarcity of water but a result of political constraints.
• This growing gap is calling for the utilization of any additional conventional and non-conventional water resources as well as putting in place water policies based on a sustainability assessment of the water resource taking into consideration socio-economic, governance and environmental issues.
•It is recommendedto manage Palestinian water resources in an integrated way that includes laws, regulations, tariff structure regulatory procedures, and a wastewater strategy.
• It is important to adjust unsustainable consumption of water as well as protect water resources from pollution and support the promotion of reforms and strengthen water institutions within integrated approaches and improved governance.
• The participation by local people and other stakeholders in edition-making and management of water resources is recommended.
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Mcm/yr
2000 2005 2010
Year
Water Supply-Demand Gap
Supply Demand Gap
•Palestine is a semi-arid country with a water demand that exceeds the available water supply: the average per capita consumption is about 50 l/day (150 l/day specified by WHO standards).
•The Palestinian economy shows a huge decline in the investments in water resources development.
•40% of the Palestinian communities are not served with safe water supply and proper sanitation.
Governance and Institution Level Promote reforms Strengthen water institutions with
integrated approaches Establish plans, policies and
strategies.
• The establishment of the National Water Council (NWC)
• In recent months, PWA has been restructured to report through the Ministry of Agriculture in order to provide a direct access to the Cabinet of Ministers.
• 3 regional utilities in the West Bank and a separate one in Gaza. Regional utilities will coordinate their activities with the local government network
• A separate bulk utility is also planned which will take responsibility for the development, collection and transportation of bulk supplies to, from and between the various regional utilities.
• PWA will maintain the critical roles of strategic planning and coordination, policy and planning, integrated resource management, establishment of standards and regulation
• The instability of the political environment in Palestine has caused delays in both private and donor investments in the water sector
• The Oslo II agreement allowed the Palestinians to develop some 80 Mcm/yr during the period 1995 till 2000, five years later only one-third of this quantity is utilized.
• Although there exists between 720-887 Mcm/yr of groundwater resources in the Palestinian lands of the West Bank, only around 112 Mcm/yr is available for domestic and industrial use to Palestinians.
• The entire region suffers from water problems and without regional cooperation that includes as well Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, it will be difficult to optimize the use of available water and minimize the potential negative environmental impacts.
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