2005 - 2006 - Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2012

ISRAEL - PALESTINE PART 2: COUNTRY ANALYSIS
Palestinian Intifada. Gaza I, the US$28 million, four-year water and wastewater management contract
won in July 1996 by Suez saw revenue collection double and leakage fall from 50% to 31%. Suez’s
management replaced 8,000 meters and repaired a further 7,000 meters. The Palestinian Water
Authority’s National Water Plan highlights investment needs of US$1.5 billion in the Gaza strip and
US$3.5 billion in the West Bank over the next 20 years.
Water provision and use in the West Bank/Gaza (1990-92)
Domestic use (L/day) 57
Agriculture 62%
Industry/Domestic 38%
Total (million m 3 ) 210
In 1999, the European Investment Bank loaned €30 million in a €65 million package for developing
water resources for the cities of Hebron and Bethlehem in the West Bank. 250,000 people will be
served by the work, aimed at improving service and cutting distribution losses, with the work meant to
be completed by 2002. In relation to this, a four year management contract for the two cities has
been awarded to VE and will have a turnover of €6.4 million over the contract life.
Data
Served by piped water 90%
Access to sewerage 80%
With sewage treatment 70%
Conflict study: Israel, Jordan and Syria
Israel, Jordan and Syria occupy one of the three most arid, permanently settled areas in the world.
They are unique in that their relatively poor groundwater resources and petrochemical deposits mean
that surface water resources have to form the backbone of the water supply. The increase in water
demands placed on these resources have been exacerbated by population growth, immigration,
refugee flows and the insistence by various parties on using irrigated agriculture. Lebanon is also a
party to these regional concerns, but has enough rainfall to be self sufficient in water resources. The
estimated total renewable water supply for the region is approximately 2,400 million m 3 per annum,
while water use averages 3,000 million m 3 per annum, according to a 1998 study compiled by the
U.S. Geological Survey. The resulting deficit is met by extracting water, without recharge, from
groundwater sources and underground aquifers.
Freshwater
Annual availability (1998) 1.70km 3
Per capita 289m 3
Annual withdrawal (1989) 1.85km 3
Domestic 16%
Industrial 5%
Agriculture 79%
Water resources, their use and abuse
The Jordan River basin drains an area of 18,300 km 2 and is some 230km long. The total natural
discharge of the basin averages around 1,500 million m 3 per annum. The Upper Jordan, which forms
the axis of the northern per annumrt of the system, has three sources, the Dan (250 million m 3 per
annum), Hasbani (125 million m 3 per annum), and Banias (125 million m 3 per annum). The Dan is
within Israel, the Hasbani rises in Southern Lebanon, and the Banias rises on the Golan Heights,
which belonged to Syria until 1967 and are now under Israeli control. The Yarmouk (400-550 million
m 3 per annum) rises in Syria, then the river flows along the Syrian-Jordanian border, and into Israel
before converging into the Jordan River. The Lower Jordan forms the border between Jordan and
Israel and then between Jordan and the West Bank. Some 400-500 million m 3 per annum is
discharged into the river through a number of smaller tributaries in Jordan.
118 Pinsent Masons Water Yearbook 2005 – 2006