2 apr 2017
The “World Water Day,” which is observed on March 22 every year, has come as Israel still persists in its inhumane practices against the Palestinian water resources, especially in the Jordan Valley.
Human rights groups and Palestinian institutions affiliated with the government also continue to denounce and appeal for international action against Israel’s ongoing control and exploitation of the Palestinian water resources.
Mohamed al-Haroub, a farmer from Bazeigh hamlet in the northern Jordan Valley, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) about the local residents’ suffering from Israeli restrictions on the use of water to meet their daily needs.
Haroub recalled the day when Israeli soldiers appropriated his water container and his tractor and arrested him on a charge of transporting water for his livestock. The soldiers, he said, claimed there was a ban on Palestinians carrying out water infrastructural projects in the Jordan Valley.
He said that with a sigh while looking sadly at nearby Jewish settlement communities, which are fed by natural springs running under his feet.
In fact, the occupying power, Israel, controls 85 percent of the Palestinian water resources and prevents the Palestinian Authority from extracting and pumping water from its territories to meet the needs of its citizens and even from treating wastewater and using it for agriculture, field researcher Mazen Awwad told the PIC.
“The [water] situation is in decline. The Palestinians’ quota of water has remained largely constant since the signing of the Oslo Accords, while there is an increase in the number of the population and their water needs,” Awwad added.
Shocking figures
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Israel has imposed its control over the bulk of renewable water resources in Palestine, which amounts to 750 million cubic meters, not to mention its control of the water resources in the Jordan River, Tiberias and the Dead Sea.
In addition to that, Israel gets water from non-shared aquifers and unconventional resources such as treated and desalinated water.
The Palestinians, in turn, get about 110 million cubic meters, although their share of the three aquifers according to the Oslo Accords is 118 million cubic meters, which was supposed to become 200 million cubic meters by 2000, the PCBS said.
Israel also limits Palestinians’ access to water resources and imposes conditions and restrictions on drilling wells and carrying out water projects, especially in Area C, which constitutes about 60 percent of the West Bank.
As for the impoverished Gaza Strip, UN reports have warned of the gravity of its deteriorating water situation, affirming that its aquifer has been severely depleted.
One of those reports said Gaza would become unsuitable for human life by 2020 because of the worsening water, environmental and health conditions there.
The Gaza coastal aquifer is being exposed to great depletion and the annual water deficit reaches more than 100 million cubic meters, the report warns.
The Palestinians’ daily per capita consumption of water amounts to 73 liters per year, which is four times less than the Israeli individual’s share, according to other international reports issued by the World Bank and Amnesty.
Human rights groups and Palestinian institutions affiliated with the government also continue to denounce and appeal for international action against Israel’s ongoing control and exploitation of the Palestinian water resources.
Mohamed al-Haroub, a farmer from Bazeigh hamlet in the northern Jordan Valley, told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) about the local residents’ suffering from Israeli restrictions on the use of water to meet their daily needs.
Haroub recalled the day when Israeli soldiers appropriated his water container and his tractor and arrested him on a charge of transporting water for his livestock. The soldiers, he said, claimed there was a ban on Palestinians carrying out water infrastructural projects in the Jordan Valley.
He said that with a sigh while looking sadly at nearby Jewish settlement communities, which are fed by natural springs running under his feet.
In fact, the occupying power, Israel, controls 85 percent of the Palestinian water resources and prevents the Palestinian Authority from extracting and pumping water from its territories to meet the needs of its citizens and even from treating wastewater and using it for agriculture, field researcher Mazen Awwad told the PIC.
“The [water] situation is in decline. The Palestinians’ quota of water has remained largely constant since the signing of the Oslo Accords, while there is an increase in the number of the population and their water needs,” Awwad added.
Shocking figures
According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS), Israel has imposed its control over the bulk of renewable water resources in Palestine, which amounts to 750 million cubic meters, not to mention its control of the water resources in the Jordan River, Tiberias and the Dead Sea.
In addition to that, Israel gets water from non-shared aquifers and unconventional resources such as treated and desalinated water.
The Palestinians, in turn, get about 110 million cubic meters, although their share of the three aquifers according to the Oslo Accords is 118 million cubic meters, which was supposed to become 200 million cubic meters by 2000, the PCBS said.
Israel also limits Palestinians’ access to water resources and imposes conditions and restrictions on drilling wells and carrying out water projects, especially in Area C, which constitutes about 60 percent of the West Bank.
As for the impoverished Gaza Strip, UN reports have warned of the gravity of its deteriorating water situation, affirming that its aquifer has been severely depleted.
One of those reports said Gaza would become unsuitable for human life by 2020 because of the worsening water, environmental and health conditions there.
The Gaza coastal aquifer is being exposed to great depletion and the annual water deficit reaches more than 100 million cubic meters, the report warns.
The Palestinians’ daily per capita consumption of water amounts to 73 liters per year, which is four times less than the Israeli individual’s share, according to other international reports issued by the World Bank and Amnesty.
21 mar 2017
Palestinian specialists and officials in Gaza called on Tuesday for finding solutions and projects to improve the infrastructure of water networks and solve the sewage crisis in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories.
During a workshop held at al-Amal Institute for Orphans, the specialists warned of the danger of depleting the groundwater reservoir in particular.
The workshop was organized to mark the World Water Day under the title "scientific applications and practical solutions for water and sewage problems", and it was attended by a number of engineers from the municipalities of the Gaza Strip as well as a group of officials of the Water and Environment Quality authorities.
Kanaan Obeid, the head of the Environment Quality Authority, said in his opening speech that the water problem is a "political crisis" caused by the Israeli occupation, which he held accountable for the water shortage.
Obeid affirmed that rationalizing the use of water is required from all segments of the society, calling on the world community to contribute in ending the water crisis in the Gaza Strip.
For his part, the head of the Water Authority in Gaza, Yaser al-Shanti, said that the water shortage in the Gaza Strip reached 110 million cubic meters annually, warning of the aggravating condition of water in the Palestinian territories which was confirmed by international and local reports in the recent years, and pointing out that Gaza needs 22 million gallons of water annually.
Shanti emphasized that rainwater is the main feeder of the aquifer, adding that 90% of the water wells allocated for household use suffer from high percentages of chloride and nitrate.
A number of scientific and specialized researches were reviewed during the workshop by researchers and academics calling for finding solutions for the water crisis in Gaza.
On the sideline of the workshop, an exhibition for sanitary ware and intelligent devices used in measuring the groundwater reservoir and treating wastewater was opened in the presence of school and university students.
During a workshop held at al-Amal Institute for Orphans, the specialists warned of the danger of depleting the groundwater reservoir in particular.
The workshop was organized to mark the World Water Day under the title "scientific applications and practical solutions for water and sewage problems", and it was attended by a number of engineers from the municipalities of the Gaza Strip as well as a group of officials of the Water and Environment Quality authorities.
Kanaan Obeid, the head of the Environment Quality Authority, said in his opening speech that the water problem is a "political crisis" caused by the Israeli occupation, which he held accountable for the water shortage.
Obeid affirmed that rationalizing the use of water is required from all segments of the society, calling on the world community to contribute in ending the water crisis in the Gaza Strip.
For his part, the head of the Water Authority in Gaza, Yaser al-Shanti, said that the water shortage in the Gaza Strip reached 110 million cubic meters annually, warning of the aggravating condition of water in the Palestinian territories which was confirmed by international and local reports in the recent years, and pointing out that Gaza needs 22 million gallons of water annually.
Shanti emphasized that rainwater is the main feeder of the aquifer, adding that 90% of the water wells allocated for household use suffer from high percentages of chloride and nitrate.
A number of scientific and specialized researches were reviewed during the workshop by researchers and academics calling for finding solutions for the water crisis in Gaza.
On the sideline of the workshop, an exhibition for sanitary ware and intelligent devices used in measuring the groundwater reservoir and treating wastewater was opened in the presence of school and university students.
19 mar 2017
Israeli bulldozers on Sunday morning continued to raze Palestinian land tracts across Salfit governorate in favor of illegal settlement expansion.
Speaking to the PIC, local farmers said the Israeli bulldozers leveled Palestinian lands near illegal settlement outposts.
Palestinian lands in and outside Leshem outpost, near Deir Balout, Kafr al-Deek, Rafat, and al-Zawiya, have also been bulldozed in the process.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the move makes part of Israeli attempts to grab more Palestinian lands in the Israel-run Area C.
Maali further warned of the swift pace of Israel’s settlement activity in Salfit in an attempt to prop up geopolitical ties between 25 outposts built on Palestinian land in the area.
He added that the move is expected to culminate in a settlement strip stretching from Zaatara checkpoint, east of Salfit, to Kafr Kasem, in 1948 Occupied Palestine (Green Line). A railway connecting Tel Aviv to the second largest West Bank outpost of Ariel is also expected to be set up in the process.
According to Maali another repercussion of the plan lies in the confiscation of the largest water basin in historical Palestine.
Speaking to the PIC, local farmers said the Israeli bulldozers leveled Palestinian lands near illegal settlement outposts.
Palestinian lands in and outside Leshem outpost, near Deir Balout, Kafr al-Deek, Rafat, and al-Zawiya, have also been bulldozed in the process.
Researcher Khaled Maali said the move makes part of Israeli attempts to grab more Palestinian lands in the Israel-run Area C.
Maali further warned of the swift pace of Israel’s settlement activity in Salfit in an attempt to prop up geopolitical ties between 25 outposts built on Palestinian land in the area.
He added that the move is expected to culminate in a settlement strip stretching from Zaatara checkpoint, east of Salfit, to Kafr Kasem, in 1948 Occupied Palestine (Green Line). A railway connecting Tel Aviv to the second largest West Bank outpost of Ariel is also expected to be set up in the process.
According to Maali another repercussion of the plan lies in the confiscation of the largest water basin in historical Palestine.
The Palestinian Water Authority has warned of the dangerous situation regarding fresh water in the Gaza Strip, due to increasing salinity and decline of aquifer levels.
In a press conference, the head of the water authority in Gaza, Yasser Al-Shanti, stressed, according to Days of Palestine, that the annual fresh water deficit in Gaza is 110 million cubic metres, noting that the 2 million people in Gaza need 200 million cubic metres of fresh water every year.
“Gaza suffers from a sharp decline in the quality and quantity of fresh water,” he said.
The groundwater wells have witnessed a sharp decline in the water level which, in some areas, reached up to 15 metres below sea level.
Al-Shanti stressed that Gaza’s population mainly depends on groundwater as a source of fresh water, noting that this natural reservoir was affected by the increasing urban sprawl.
Groundwater wells decline due to the Israeli theft of deep underground water via hundreds of wells surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Based on an earlier UN report, Quds Press said that the Gaza Strip is expected to have no fresh water valid for human use by 2020 due the increasing salinity, pollution and the continuing effects of the Israeli siege.
09/03/15 United Nations: Gaza Could Be Uninhabitable Within 5 Years
In a press conference, the head of the water authority in Gaza, Yasser Al-Shanti, stressed, according to Days of Palestine, that the annual fresh water deficit in Gaza is 110 million cubic metres, noting that the 2 million people in Gaza need 200 million cubic metres of fresh water every year.
“Gaza suffers from a sharp decline in the quality and quantity of fresh water,” he said.
The groundwater wells have witnessed a sharp decline in the water level which, in some areas, reached up to 15 metres below sea level.
Al-Shanti stressed that Gaza’s population mainly depends on groundwater as a source of fresh water, noting that this natural reservoir was affected by the increasing urban sprawl.
Groundwater wells decline due to the Israeli theft of deep underground water via hundreds of wells surrounding the Gaza Strip.
Based on an earlier UN report, Quds Press said that the Gaza Strip is expected to have no fresh water valid for human use by 2020 due the increasing salinity, pollution and the continuing effects of the Israeli siege.
09/03/15 United Nations: Gaza Could Be Uninhabitable Within 5 Years
16 mar 2017
Head of the water authority in Gaza Yaser al-Shanti said that the annual shortage percentage in the underground water reservoir in the enclave has reached 100 million cubic meters. He affirmed that water wells in Gaza do not meet the standards of the World Health Organization. 85% of water wells in Gaza are not safe for domestic use because of high chloride and nitrate, he highlighted.
In a press conference held in Gaza on the World Water Day on Thursday, Shanti warned of the gravity of the situation in the besieged enclave in accordance with international and local reports that confirmed the existence of acute shortage of water in quantity and quality.
He underlined that the shortage of water supply is mainly caused by the increasing urban expansion. This has led to the shortage in the level of the underground water in addition to high salinity, he said. The lack of good infrastructure and sanitation networks is another reason, Shanti pointed out.
He announced the launch of a series of events with the participation of a number of ministries and private local authorities on the World Water Day which coincides on March 22. The events aim at deliberating the reality of water and sewage conditions in the Gaza Strip and urging people to decrease water consumption.
In a press conference held in Gaza on the World Water Day on Thursday, Shanti warned of the gravity of the situation in the besieged enclave in accordance with international and local reports that confirmed the existence of acute shortage of water in quantity and quality.
He underlined that the shortage of water supply is mainly caused by the increasing urban expansion. This has led to the shortage in the level of the underground water in addition to high salinity, he said. The lack of good infrastructure and sanitation networks is another reason, Shanti pointed out.
He announced the launch of a series of events with the participation of a number of ministries and private local authorities on the World Water Day which coincides on March 22. The events aim at deliberating the reality of water and sewage conditions in the Gaza Strip and urging people to decrease water consumption.
9 mar 2017
Thanks to a 9-million euro fund from the German government, the Muntar water reservoir in Gaza, destroyed by Israel during its summer 2014 military onslaught, is once again operating.
Germany’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority, Peter Beerwerth, and Palestinian Minister of Water, Mazen Ghneim, inaugurated the rebuilt reservoir in ceremonies held on Thursday.
Work on rebuilding the 5000-cubic meter reservoir, considered vital for Gaza’s water supply, started in October 2014, according to WAFA.
The fund also went to rehabilitating a destroyed water well in the area, in addition to another water reservoir, pumping stations and water lines and roads leading to the site.
Beerwerth said that Germany continues to support development in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
While rebuilding Muntar water reservoir is one of these projects financed by Germany, it is also working on a 65- million euro project to build a waste water treatment plant in central Gaza.
Germany’s total contribution to Palestinian infrastructure in water and waste water projects has reached 350 million euros, said a statement by the German Representative Office in Ramallah.
Germany’s Representative to the Palestinian Authority, Peter Beerwerth, and Palestinian Minister of Water, Mazen Ghneim, inaugurated the rebuilt reservoir in ceremonies held on Thursday.
Work on rebuilding the 5000-cubic meter reservoir, considered vital for Gaza’s water supply, started in October 2014, according to WAFA.
The fund also went to rehabilitating a destroyed water well in the area, in addition to another water reservoir, pumping stations and water lines and roads leading to the site.
Beerwerth said that Germany continues to support development in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
While rebuilding Muntar water reservoir is one of these projects financed by Germany, it is also working on a 65- million euro project to build a waste water treatment plant in central Gaza.
Germany’s total contribution to Palestinian infrastructure in water and waste water projects has reached 350 million euros, said a statement by the German Representative Office in Ramallah.
28 feb 2017
Israeli settlers from the illegal Havat Yair settlement Tuesday destroyed a water well used by Palestinian farmers in Deir Istiya town to the west of Salfit, for irrigation purposes, according to local sources.
Havat Yair settlement is one of the eight Israeli settlements illegally established on the hills overlooking Wadi Qana.
The local farmer Ahmed Khalil told the PIC reporter that Israeli settlers seek to forcibly displace the farmers from their lands and to take control over the Wadi.
In contrast to the stringent enforcement measures imposed on Palestinian farmers, Israeli authorities turn a blind eye to illegal activities by settlers in the nature reserve, such as massive construction, building roads, and discharging wastewater into the Wadi.
According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “As the occupying force, Israel must protect the Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the Israeli authorities neglect to fulfill this responsibility and do not do enough to prevent Israeli civilians from attacking Palestinians, their property and their lands.”
“The undeclared policy of the Israeli authorities in response to these attacks is lenient and conciliatory. Perpetrators are rarely tried, and many cases are not investigated at all or are closed with no operative conclusions.”
Havat Yair settlement is one of the eight Israeli settlements illegally established on the hills overlooking Wadi Qana.
The local farmer Ahmed Khalil told the PIC reporter that Israeli settlers seek to forcibly displace the farmers from their lands and to take control over the Wadi.
In contrast to the stringent enforcement measures imposed on Palestinian farmers, Israeli authorities turn a blind eye to illegal activities by settlers in the nature reserve, such as massive construction, building roads, and discharging wastewater into the Wadi.
According to B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, “As the occupying force, Israel must protect the Palestinians in the West Bank. However, the Israeli authorities neglect to fulfill this responsibility and do not do enough to prevent Israeli civilians from attacking Palestinians, their property and their lands.”
“The undeclared policy of the Israeli authorities in response to these attacks is lenient and conciliatory. Perpetrators are rarely tried, and many cases are not investigated at all or are closed with no operative conclusions.”
