Factsheet: Water in the

Ein Samia Why is water so crucial So what is the truth in the region? about water? Water is key to survival. Its scarcity in the region As the two main bodies that interact with the makes it a much sought-after commodity, and a major Palestinian side on the issue of water, the Civil point in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. This Administration and the Israeli Water Authority are the makes water both a political issue and a humanitarian primary Israeli sources of information on water issues. one, and a heavily discussed topic in the international This short brief will provide some basic background arena. However, the discussion pool is rife with broad facts on the issue, as well as some key information and even conflicting statistics and statements on water. about the situation in the West Bank today.

Definitions Aquifer Desalinated water A geological formation or structure that stores and /or Seawater or saline water rendered potable by removing transmits groundwater, such as to wells and springs. the salt.

Fresh Natural Potable Water Water available Fresh, clean water from a renewable source such as a A portion of water made available within a source - lake, spring or aquifer. whether it is extracted or not is a separate matter.

Recycled Water Water consumption Water that is purified and recycled from wastewater. Amount of water consumed. Not to be confused with amount available. (Einot Tzukim) How much water is there in How many people are there in and the West Bank? Israel and the West Bank? 1433 Millions of Cubic Meters (MCM) is the average According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there amount of fresh natural renewable water available are currently 7.8 million people residing in Israel. between the River and the – that is to say, in the covering Israel and the West Based on an average using the Palestinian Bureau Bank, not including Gaza (multiannual average of of Statistics and American/Israeli statistical study 1993-2009). This figure does not fluctuate much. (Y. Etinger) it is estimated that there are currently 2 This water accumulates in lakes, rivers and million residing in the West Bank. underground aquifers.

How is the water divided? The Mountain Aquifer is a shared water source for Israelis and Palestinians. The multiannual average of water within the aquifer is estimated at 679MCM, according to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the , signed in Washington, D.C., September 28, 1995. (Due to climate change the current average is estimated at 641MCM).

The allocation of water to the two sides from the Mountain Aquifer is conducted according to Article 40 of the Civil Annex to the Interim Agreement.

The Article gives two guidelines for the amounts of water to which each side is entitled. The first is a guideline for the ‘interim period’, that is to say the period between the agreement (1995) and the next scheduled agreement, which was expected to be 5 years later (2000).

The second gives a guideline for ‘future needs’, which is to say the timeframe beyond the interim period. This guideline allocates more water to the Palestinian side than the first guideline.

Although no follow-up agreement was reached in 2000 and therefore we are still in the ‘interim period’, Israel follows the guidelines pertaining to ‘future needs’, making more water available for the Palestinian side. How Much Water are the How much do they use? Palestinians Entitled to Palestinian total consumption for all purposes is about According to the Agreement? 190 m3/year (2010 figure).

According to the agreement (Article 40) Palestinians The per capita consumption figure (based on 2010 are entitled to 196 MCM of self-extracted water per census) is 95 m3/year. year, plus an additional 31 MCM that Israel needs to actively supply from its own water and with its own The discrepancy between availability and consumption infrastructure. is explained in the FAQ section.

Combined, the Agreement states that the Palestinians in the West Bank are entitled to an availability of 227 How Accessible is it? MCM of water. In 1967, only 10% of Palestinian households were connected to water infrastructure. Today this figure How much fresh water had risen to 95%. do Palestinians really Palestinian cities in the West Bank currently have have available? better access to water than residents of and . In reality, West Bank Palestinians have access to over 248 MCM of fresh natural water. This is because Israel supplies an extra 21 MCM beyond its obligation. (2010 figure). Adding to this, approximately 17MCM of water is extracted through unapproved wells from the Northern and Western Basins, against the Interim Agreement and at Israel’s expense (because the water current naturally flows towards the Israeli side).

This gives us a per capita sum of 124 m3/year without counting unapproved extraction (based on 2010 census).

In comparison, Israel’s per capita sum of fresh natural water is 150 m3/year . (2010 census)

Ein Samia The Interim Agreement – key points concerning water Article 40 of the Interim Agreement provides the guidelines for administration of water between Israelis and Palestinians. It not only dictates how it should be portioned, but also how the joint resource should be managed and what steps should be taken by either side to guarantee water sustainability and coexistence. Leaving aside portioning, as this was discussed above, the key points for management of the resource are as follow:

Some of the key points include:

• Palestinian Water Rights in the West Bank are recognized and shall be negotiated in the Permanent Status Agreement. • Establishment of a permanent Joint Water Committee (JWC) to deal with all water and sewage related issues in the West Bank. All decisions of the JWC shall be reached by consensus. • Maintaining the existing quantities of water utilization, while taking into consideration the quantities of additional water for the Palestinians from the Eastern Aquifer. • Recognition from both sides of the necessity to develop additional water for various uses • Prevention of the deterioration of water quality in water resources. • Treating, reusing or properly disposing of all domestic, urban, industrial, and agricultural sewage. • Existing water and sewage systems shall be operated, maintained and developed in a coordinated manner • All development of water resources and systems, by either side, shall require the prior approval of the JWC. • Both sides shall establish Joint Supervision and Enforcement Teams that shall operate in the field to monitor, supervise, and enforce the implementation of Article 40. Ein Feshkha (Einot Tzukim) Some Issues the Israeli Side is Some Issues the Palestinian Facing Side is Facing Breaching of the Interim Agreement by the Water loss through poor infrastructure and well Palestinians in various ways. For example: maintenance. The P.W.A. estimates their total water The drilling of wells and creation of other water- loss, or ‘unaccounted-for-water’ (UFW) at 33%. extraction sources on the Palestinian side without This figure includes both actual loss due to poorly approval by the JWC. This not only breaches the maintained infrastructure, as well as unpaid-for terms of the Agreement, but also endangers the water, used by Palestinian citizens, but for which the sustainability of the Mountain Aquifer as the wells are Palestinian Authority did not receive payment. built without hydrological and engineering assessment. The JWC does meet regularly, as per the Agreement’s Non-treatment of own wastewater resulting in: instruction, and does approve many new water projects • Contamination of groundwater and pollution of including many new wells on the Palestinian side. Yet, the environment. many of these approved wells are not being built, and • Inability to recycle sewage water and use it for unapproved, unmonitored wells are being favored agriculture like the Israeli side, thus reducing the instead – despite all the permits for approved wells amount of fresh water available for domestic use. being already acquired. (see FAQ section for further explanations). Water contamination and environmental damage from untreated wastewater. Water theft by the Palestinian side through illegal 19.1 MCM is the total amount of wastewater connections to Israeli water infrastructure (and generated by Israelis residing in the West Bank. Of collateral damage resulting in water spillage). this, 16.2 MCM is treated in Wastewater Treatment Plants in Israel and the West Bank. 2.2 MCM are Water contamination and environmental damage from partially treated and deposited in cesspits, and 0.7 untreated sewage. The water source for both parties MCM currently remain untreated, contaminating the is put at risk by untreated Palestinian sewage flowing joint water source (although plans are underway to through wadis (streams), endangering the underground address this problem). aquifer and polluting the environment. Of the 52MCM of wastewater generated by the Palestinian Demolition of unapproved wells by the Israeli side. population, 17MCM raw sewage flows untreated in the This occurs because of the need to enforce the streams and into Israel, contaminating environment provisions of the Interim Agreement, and because the and groundwater en route (Israel is then compelled to Palestinian Water Authority does not fulfill its pledge treat it), 2 MCM is treated at the El Bireh Treatment of removing wells unapproved by the JWC. Since Plant, and 32.5 remain untreated in the West Bank, these unmonitored wells can seriously endanger the contaminating the joint groundwater source. sustainability of the entire region’s main natural water (Israel provides encouragement and support to the source, the swiftness of their removal is crucial. (As Palestinian side in the field of wastewater treatment, the example of Gaza shows, where the unmonitored including proposals to share Israeli technology and drilling of thousands of Palestinian wells after know-how). the disengagement destroyed the Gaza Aquifer). Unapproved wells affect Israel, but also Palestinian Partnership difficulties due to misrepresentation of private owners, whose approved wells suffer from the the situation from the Palestinian side to third parties, increased extraction by the unapproved wells. which also hampers progress on the ground. Corruption within the P.W.A., lack of organization and insufficient funds. FAQ

Do get more water usage, and 47.5 MCM for Israeli consumption was significantly lower than than the Palestinians? settler usage (in addition 137 m3/year per capita that paid by Israeli Palestinians produce 140 (total water consumption municipalities, both As Israeli citizens, MCM/ year themselves) – of 1040 MCM/year), and within Israel and the West settlers’ water falls within although in reality settler this despite a considerable Bank (the average Israeli the Israeli allowance usage is lower than this, population increase since Municipality pays 3.86 allocated by the Interim thus leaving more water 1967. NIS per cubic meter). Agreement. The 350,000 for the Palestinians. settlers in the West Bank Does Israel need the West Is it difficult for consume 47 MCM/year, Does Israel use Palestinian Bank in order to access the Palestinians to drill wells? which means 134m3/year water? underground aquifer? of fresh natural water per No, and the procedure capita. This is lower than No. Israel uses strictly No. The aquifer is spread is identical for Israelis the Israeli allowance of the amount of fresh out under both Israel and wishing to drill wells. The 150 m3/year . water allocated by the the West Bank, with the procedure for drilling agreement, and does largest part of the aquifer wells requires either one Do settlers ‘steal’ not tap into Palestinian actually lying beneath or two steps. The first step Palestinian water? allocation. Israel: 8900 km, while is to get an approval for only 5600 lie under the the well by the JWC. No. Settler consumption Does Israel continue its West Bank. This applies to both falls within the Israeli presence in the West Bank Israelis and Palestinians allocation, and therefore as this offers a water Does Israel sell water to wishing to drill wells in does not tap into, or advantage? the Palestinians at inflated the West Bank. If the well affect, the Palestinian prices? is located within Areas allocation. Settlers No. Israel’s consumption A or B, Palestinians do source their water only from the Mountain No. The trade price of not need any further from Israeli sources, Aquifer (and freshwater water between the Israeli approvals or permits, which includes approved consumption in general) and Palestinian sides and can start drilling. If (Israeli) wells in the is distinctly lower than was established by the the well is within Area West Bank and sourcing it was in 1967: In 1967, JWC Pricing Protocol C, both Israelis and directly from Israel. The Israelis consumed 504 in 1998, as 2.6 NIS per Palestinians require a water sourced from Israel m3/year per capita (total cubic meter for the PWA. permit from the Civil amounts to 100MCM water consumption of This is a considerably Administration, which in total, of which 52.5 1411MCM/year) of fresh lower rate than the approves and permits MCM for Palestinian natural water. In 2009, full real price and also 99% of requests.

Ashkelon Desalination Plant Does Israel have a JWC, 24 have not yet sources will become Does Israel respect the more water than the been built – despite the insufficient. The Interim terms of the Interim Palestinians? fact that there is no legal Accords state that both Agreement? or other impediment, sides need to develop In terms of fresh water, as all 24 wells hold new water sources for , and beyond. You Israel has only marginally the appropriate Civil the future. Israel has are invited to find out more water availability Administration permit. developed desalination more by visiting us at the than Palestinians per The reason is twofold: and water recycling Civil Administration, or capita (150 m3/year the first reason has to technologies, visiting the Israeli Water versus 124 m3/year). do with the direction of and is currently sharing Authority website. Overall though, Israel the water flow. Water in its expertise with the does have more water the Mountain Aquifer Palestinian Water because it developed flows in two directions, Authority through a desalination technology on either side of the series of workshops. to desalinate saline water. mountain range. Some Israel recycles wastewater water flows to the west and uses the clean (so towards Israel) and output for agriculture. some to the east (towards The Palestinians do not the West Bank). The recycle their wastewater. approved Palestinian Israel is happy to share wells are located in areas expertise, and is currently that flow towards the providing training in both east. The unapproved recycling and desalination wells are all located in to the Palestinian side. areas that flow towards the west. The illegal Palestinian availability is wells thus cut off the 248 MCM, yet consumption flow before the water can is only 190 MCM. Why the reach Israel. This has an discrepancy? impact on Israeli wells in Israel, as not enough Although 248 MCM water is reaching them. is available, this does The second reason has not mean that all of to do with funding. The it is already extracted areas where the water from the ground. Part flows naturally towards of this water is part of the east is located in the Palestinian ‘future the southern part of needs’, as assessed by the the West Bank, and Interim Accords, and in require deeper digging order to access the entire to access the water amount, deeper wells than in the northern Wastewater Recycling Plant would need to be dug. part, where the ground This is postponed due is less deep and thus to lack of funding and cheaper to dig. Acquiring Contact Details internal management and additional water through decisional issues. unapproved wells is If you would like more information about water also cheaper than or another field within the Civil Administration’s Why are the Palestinians developing new water activities, please feel free to get in touch or visit us. digging unapproved wells through desalination and in contradiction to the recycling. International Organizations Branch Water Agreement, but not Civil Administration of and digging approved ones? Is the current rate of Head of Branch: Lt. Col. Sharon Ben Ari consumption sustainable? Tel: 02-997-7744 Of 66 Palestinian wells Fax: 02-997-7055 intended for domestic No. With population Email: [email protected] use approved by the growth, natural water

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