Israel-Palestine Water Issues

Aquifers of the Region

Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza are part of the Jordan River Watershed and utilize three primary aquifers: Coastal, Mountain, and Northern.

The Cenomanian-Turonian Mountain Aquifer system underlying and largely recharged from the West Bank is by far the most important source of water in this area. The aquifer system is highly permeable due to its geological nature. The Coastal Aquifer extends from Gaza in the south to Mount Carmel in the north along some 120 km of Mediterranean coastline. The width of the aquifer varies from 3-10 km in the north to about 20 km in the south, where it constitutes the chief resource of water for Gaza. The depth to groundwater in Gaza ranges from 60 m in the east to 8 m or less near the shore.

The mountain aquifers supply:

Yarkon-Tanninim Aquifer This supplies Israel with about 340 million cubic meters of water annually, which are used by the Jerusalem-Tel-Aviv area. Palestinians use about 20 million cubic meters a year.
Nablus-Gilboa Aquifer This supplies Israel with about 115 million cubic meters a year, largely for agricultural irrigation in the kibbutzim (communes) and moshavim (cooperative settlements) in Galilee.
The Eastern Aquifer This supplies about 40 million cubic meters annually to the Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley, and about 60 million cubic meters to the Palestinians.

source: MidEast Web: West Bank Water Resources For more information, see the EXACT-ME Overview of Middle East Water Resources.

Watershed Sources

The Israel-Palestine Aquifers are supplied by numerous ground- and surface- water sources from throughout the region. The figure to the left illustrates the source, and sink, of the water as it passes through the region.

As part of the limited water resource of the region, quality becomes as important as quantity. If aquifers are drained too quickly they threaten to pull in seawater and drastically increase the salinity of the water. In addition, as population grows in the region the potential for contamination of the water supplies to due polution or purely over abundance of infrastructure.

As is apparent in the diagram, there is a very important chain of interdependency that forces the various nation-states to acknowledge their impact on downstream water quality and quantity.

The National Water Carrier of Israel was created to disseminate water stored in the Lake Kinneret reservoir to the southern regions.

Additional Hydrological Maps

: Watersheds; In the Palestinian territories, water is a precious natural resource and its relative scarcity is a major constraint to economic development. This applies throughout the region, which is generally characterised by aridity and water scarcity. With the majority of the region’s water resources being shared by more than one country, the allocation and management of transboundary water resources assumes great importance. Global climate change may further magnify the pressure on the water system in the Occupied Palestinian Territories through increased temperatures and evaporation rates and lower and more erratic rainfall.
: Hydrological vulnerability of ground water to pollution in the West Bank; The map is based on information provided by the WCMC and shows areas of high, medium and low vulnerability to pollution due to human activities. The map shows that more than two thirds of the West Bank is categorised as being highly vulnerable.

source: UNEP Maps of Palestine Water Resources

Water Infrastructure

: Water carriers in Gaza; In most of Gaza’s municipalities, there is no balance between water supply and demand. The municipalities are responsible for distributing water for domestic and industrial consumption. Each municipality has its own water source and a separate distribution system. Water consumption averages 75 litres per capita per day. Due to the deteriorating distribution network, water losses are very high, in the range of 35-50 %. Most municipalities use groundwater without any treatment except for disinfection. Some municipalities buy water from Mekorot. According to reports and studies by the Palestinian Water Authority, 95 % of Gaza residents receive service, which means that most of the population has access to an indoor tap. Most of the distribution systems in the municipalities operate a timetable for supplying drinking water.
: Water carriers in the West Bank; The average per capita water consumption is around 70 litres per capita per day. Approximately 88 % of the total West Bank population and 55 % of localities (towns and villages) have access to piped water supply systems (EQA, 2002b).
: Well distribution in Gaza; Most houses are served from indoor taps and depend on municipal wells for domestic use. The exception to this is the central and eastern part of Khan Yunis Governorate in southern Gaza, which depends mainly on the Israeli water company Mekorot.
: Well distribution in the West Bank; The major water resources in the West Bank consist of groundwater and springs, while additional sources include rainwater harvesting. There are 40 municipal wells in the West Bank that are used either wholly or partially by Palestinians. Their annual yield is around 30 million m3 (EQA, 2002a). This is insufficient to meet water demand and the deficit is supplied mainly through springs or through Mekorot (the Israeli Water Company). Some agricultural wells are also used for domestic purposes.

This site was created by Andrew Turner as part of the Maps, Timelines, and the Internet: The Quest for Peace in the Middle East course taught by Dr. Sandra Arlinghaus and Professor Emerita Ann E. Larimore.

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