Joint Aquifer Management – Institutional Options / Prof. Eran Feitelson & Dr. Marwan Haddad
The Gaza Water Crisis /
Yousef Abu Mayla and Eilon Adar
The Mountain aquifer, composed of three sub-basins, supplies approximately a third of Israeli water consumption, and is the source of almost all the water supplied to the Palestinians in the West Bank. Due to the properties of this aquifer, it has long been suggested that it should be managed jointly. If the two parties do indeed intend to manage this shared resource judiciously, it is likely they will need to come up with innovative management structures. A series of such options have been proposed in the past for such an option. In practice a coordinated management structure was established in the interim agreements (Oslo B) signed in September 1995. This structure is composed of a joint water committee (JWC) and joint supervision and enforcement teams (JSETs). Early experience with this structure led to arguments that it is insufficient, and that there exists a need to move to more sophisticated structures. Practical steps to this end were also proposed in lieu of the permanent status negotiations that were expected at the time. This chapter considers possible frameworks for joint management structures between the two parties. It begins by briefly reviewing a vareity models that represent different degrees of cooperation identified in prior work. Then, the implications of a complete breakdown in relations, resulting in separate management, are considered. A discussion of their implications shows that there are still cooperative options that are well worth pursuing. Some steps for advancing such approaches are raised in the conclusions.
The Gaza Strip today faces a severe water crisis, with a growing scarcity of safe and clean water, and groundwater providing the only water source. The chapter reviews the hydrological situation in Gaza, identifying the sources of pollution and the present level of contamination. As water is a scarce commodity in the region and all parties already suffer from lack of sufficient and adequate quality of water for domestic and agriculture users, the most feasible and immediate solution for Gaza Strip is associated with the production of new water by means of desalination and treatment of effluents.
The authors recommend a program of cooperation and coordination in the management of water resources that includes: rehabilitation of distribution networks, establishing water desalination plants, and new wastewater treatment plants are the only feasible options open to Gaza Strip to address the current and the future water crises. Institutionally, they suggest the creation of a common committee to mange the Gazan water secto as well as the sharing of relevant scientific, technical and academic knowledge between the universities and research centers in order to develop common projects in the water sector.