Water Wisdom: A Permanent Framework for Hydrological Cooperation
Statistically, five successive years of drought suggest that historic assumptions about Palestinian and Israeli water supply were optimistic. Climatic impacts on precipitation, that were thought to be part of future scenarios, allowing time for adaptation measures may very well already be the regions new reality. If in the past, water shortages were expected to be acute, the more severe hydrological projections demand new ways of addressing the growing scarcity and more serious formats for cooperation. Water quality concerns can no longer be put off as a luxury, but in fact hold greater economic and humanitarian ramifications than ever before.
The chapters in this book suggest that there are many areas and assumptions about which Israeli and Palestinian water experts agree. Among them:
•In light of the geometric population growth, Israels past and existing water policies in the West Bank have left Palestinians with inadequate water resources.
•Whether or not providing additional Palestinian water to the Palestinian communities and economy are perceived as fundamental political rights or simply a more reasonable and equitable sharing of water resources there is a consensus that a final peace agreement must expand Palestinian water resources.
•Palestinians and Israelis must agree on a safe level of extraction from water resources and share a commitment to prevent below these red-lines.
•Desalination, reuse of effluents and reduction of leakages in water delivery are all part of a comprehensive strategy that will needs to expand the overall water resources in the region.
•More stringent measures to improve water quality are needed, with sewage infrastructure the highest immediate priority for investment.
•Water is not just a commodity or a resource to be produced or mined, but holds a special spiritual and religious role for both sides in the conflict. The similarity of this heritage need not be a source of division but can be leveraged to produce greater cooperation and commitment to sustainable management.
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At the same time, there are many areas where traditional disputes and competing claims have not been resolved. The following summarize the most fundamental historic disagreements:
• Controversy remains as to whether Palestinians enjoy rights to the entire mountain aquifer or not. Israel argues that the water in the aquifer was almost entirely utilized prior to 1967. While water sharing is possible, in no way does Israel concede its historic rights to this resource. Palestinians hold that as the aquifer is largely recharged largely by rainfall in the West Bank, the water should be theirs. Disagreements also exist with regards to utilization of waters from the Jordan River, which Israel sees as consistent with past agreements and its historic rights.
•Palestinians are unwilling to accept desalinized water in lieu of water resources drawn from the mountain aquifer. This position not only relies on assumptions regarding their hydrological independence, but also what they believe is a more logical, geographically driven, management and supply scheme.
•Palestinians reject the legitimacy of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, with the implication being that any water usage by these settlements is by definition illegitimate.
•Israel argues that Palestinian administrative capacity remains insufficient to guarantee sustainable yields and oversight of pumping and accessing waters. Moreover, it is dissatisfied with Palestinian commitment to reducing discharge of poorly treated effluents which ultimately contribute to contamination of shared resources.
The ideas put forward in this book seek to trump some of the traditional impasses about regional water management. By increasing the level of resolution, solutions emerge. When ideology is replaced by hydrology and engineering, most of the water conflicts appear surmountable, with alternatives appearing increasingly feasible.
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