2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

ISRAEL - PALESTINE PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Israel – Palestine
Economics (2003)
GDP per capita US$16,240
GDP per capita (PPP) US$19,440
GDP per capita (Palestine) US$1,051
Water in Israel
Israel is one of the leaders in recycling wastewater. At the beginning of the 1990s, 90% of domestic
and industrial users were connected to the sewerage network and 70% of the water collected was
reused, accounting for 195 million m 3 per annum of water, or about 10% of total supply. From 1992 to
2003, the quantity of treated wastewater grew from 126 million to 332 million m 3 per year. As 450
million m 3 per annum of wastewater is currently produced, treatment will be extended for all of these
effluents. National policy calls for the gradual replacement of freshwater allocations to agriculture by
reclaimed effluents. Presently reclaimed municipal wastewater accounts for 30% of the total water
supplied to agriculture. It is estimated that by 2020 effluent use will constitute 50%.
Water provision and use in Israel (1992-93)
Domestic use (L/day) 275
Agriculture 63%
Industry 6%
Domestic 31%
Total (million m 3 ) 1,754
Fresh water in all areas of Israel will be restricted to domestic use by 2014. The increased cost of
land and labour is driving the profitability of irrigation agriculture down. This is creating considerable
potential for mutual aid between the two states with Palestine taking over the commodity side of food
production and Israel concentrating on higher value activities such as seeds and support services.
Between 2003 and 2007, US$1.7 billion will be invested in desalination and related water projects.
US$360million will be invested in small desalination facilities to be built by private companies, along
with US$620 million for larger facilities at Ashkelon, Hadera and Ashdod. Furthermore, US$180
million is to be invested in wastewater reclamation facilities, along with US$240 million from private
companies.
Israel: Population
2003 (million) 6.7
2015 (million) 7.9
Urbanisation in 2003 92%
Urbanisation by 2015 92%
In urban agglomerations, 2015 35%
Palestine: Population
2002 (million) 3.4
2015 (million) 5.3
Urbanisation in 2002 71%
Urbanisation by 2015 76%
In urban agglomerations, 2015 0%
The West Bank and the Gaza Strip
Water development and management projects in the West Bank and the Gaza strip to date have been
related to aid spending or World Bank supported schemes. US$75 million in aid was granted in 2003
to alleviate water supply shortages by the Southern West Bank, via the World Bank, the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID) and the French Development Agency (AFD). USIAD
work has been frozen due to the intensification of the conflict.
Gaza II, an eight-year contract to supervise, manage and maintain the water and wastewater system
in the Gaza Strip is to be awarded in the near term having been postponed from 2001 by the
117 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006