Palestinian Water Sector Ambitions and Opportunities

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Palestinian Water SectorAmbitions and
Opportunities

• R. El Sheikh
• Deputy Chairman, Palestinian Water Authority
• THE WATER GEOPLOITICS ROUND TABLE
• TURIN
• March, 2007

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GAZA STRIP
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Mountain Aquifers/West Bank
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Water Sector Institutional Framework
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(No Transcript)
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Investment Plan/ West Bank
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Weakness factors

• 1. Internal Factors
• 1.1Weak Enforcement of the law
• 1.2 No sufficient attention by the PA
• ( NWC, Government, Presidency office)
• 1.3 Deteriorating consumers water culture
• 1.4 Lack of integrity among related PA
  organizations

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Weakness factors

• 2. External Factors
• 2.1 Israeli incursions directed most efforts
  towards emergency works rather than development
• 2.2 Donor community is reluctant to fulfill its
  commitments
• 2.3 Political situation is affecting negatively
  the socioeconomic dimension.

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Palestinian Water Rights References

• Eastern Aquifer Ownership
• Equitable Distribution from South West and North
  East Aquifers
• Equitable Distribution of Wadis East Gaza
• Recover Complete Water Rights in Jordan Valley
  Basin
• Riparian Rights of the Dead Sea, Political and
  Natural Resources
• Regional Rights in the Mediterranean
• Compensation against the Israeli Actions since
  1967

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The Israeli View in Camp David
Perpetuate the current inequitable allocation and
provide funding for new water to enhance
Palestines share
New
Overall Water Allocation
New
Israel
Israel
Palestine
Palestine
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The Palestinian View (Step 1)
Reallocate the existing water resources,
generating equitable allocations
Overall Water Allocation
Israel
Israel
Palestine
Palestine
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The Palestinian View ( Step 2)
Develop and allocate the new water - note that
the end point is the same as in the Israeli
approach
New
Overall Water Allocation
New
Israel
Israel
Palestine
Palestine
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Opportunities

• A fair agreement on water must be included in the
  Permanent Status Solution. This will support
  peace initiatives and diffuse conflicts, which is
  the interest of both parties.
• Customary international water law calls for the
  equitable and reasonable allocation of shared
  water resources.
• Joint management of the shared water resources is
  inevitable if the agreement is to be effective.
• The provision of new water from desalination is
  the long term solution.