Water for Life in the Middle East Integreating Rules and Tools for Water Resources Management Scarcity index for evaluation of the gaps of shared water resources & the Vision and Scenarios Case study Palestine Israel Dr. Moahmed Asheesh Insitute of Technology, Oulu/Finland                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Development and Conflict Water is the basis of infrastructure and living The United Nations Committee on Economic, Cultural and Social Rights declared that access to water is a human right and stated that water is a social and cultural good, not merely an economic commodity UN has declared the current year (2003) as the “International Year of Freshwater” “Water for People Water for Life” (A joint report by the twenty- three UN agencies concerned with freshwater) Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Water for People water for Life the critical importance of freshwater in every region of the world how human development is limited without supply of water suitable quality how peace and harmony between and within nations ar threatened realized that there is insufficient water to meet human and environmental needs how the value of fresh water exceeds narrow economic calculation by encompaassing a whole range of social, cultural and ethnical considerations Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Global Water Crisis: the Single Biggest Threats Facing Humankind The world’s population has tripled in the past hundred years Water demand has increased sevenfold over the same period Today, 25% of the world’s population (1.5 billion) still have no access to safe drinking water About 2.9 billion (50% of the world’s population) have no access to sanitation services Five million people, predominantly women and children, die every day from water-related diseases Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

millions people suffer from problems related to water quality About 40 countries and one billion people will lack adequate water supply in 2025 Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Transboundary Water Resources In the world, 263 water bodies are shared by two or more countries Some fifty countries have 75% or more of their total land area within shared river basins Thirty-five to forty percent of the world's population live in these basins Upstream and downstream interests Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Categories of Scarcity Index1 (m3 per capita) Category/ Condition1 index2 Condition2 >1700 No stress <1000 Scarcity 1000-1700 Stress <1667 500-1000 >1667 Abundance <500 Absolute scarcity   Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Global Aspects Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004 Country Amount of fresh water m3/cap. x103 Canada 94,4 England 1,2 USA 8,9 Kenia 0,7 China 2,2 Israel 0,3 India 1,9 Egypt 0,04 Finland 21,3   Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Disagreement on course of action Water and Conflict Factual disagreement Disagreement on course of action Conflict about goals Relational aspects Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004 HAIFA LAKE TIBERIA MEDITERRANEAN SEA A/459/ASHEESH/KARTTA1 BEERSHEBA HAIFA NETANYA N. E. AQUIFER WESTERN NABLUS EASTERN AMMAN TEL AVIV BETHLEHEM JERUSALEM MEDITERRANEAN SEA LAKE TIBERIA JORDAN RIVER ASHDOD GAZA DEAD SEA Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Water resources balance parameters calculated for a state or riparian states can be divided into four major groups: (i) System Input Volume (ii) System Output Used Volume, (iii) System Output Losses, (iv) System Output to Environment. Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004 System Input Volume P=E+Q △S Rain water Surface water Underground water Water re-use Desalinated water External input/ Imported water Evaporation & Transpiration Environment Losses Distribution Water bodies SYSTEM OUTPUT LOSSES Domestic use Industrial use Irrigation Green Services Recycle SYSTEM OUTPUT VOLUME Available Water Outlet 150 l/C/D Drainage Outflow (blue water flow) Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Scarcity index Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Where: Wsci. Scarcity index if it is negative : Where: Wsci Scarcity index if it is negative : Income to system (A or B riparian) : Annual domestic demand (m3/p.a) : Demand for the green areas (m3/p.a), this depends on inhabitation growth : Demand for irrigation (m3/p.a) : = Ln (1+r) the growth rate matrix t: Length of the time for which the estimation is made, the period can be calculated as the difference between the set of time the estimated future (t-k); : Population when t = 0 t: Present time h: Yearly evaporation amount of water depending on climate of country and area b: Water needs for maintaining the environment depending on the length of the river. k: Estimated losses p: Industrial demand in percentage depending on country structure, its value can be determined as 15-25 percent of the domestic demand Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

leave room for interpretation limit enforcement Conclusions Vision, Rules and conventions on sharing international water resources are ‘frameworks’ which leave room for interpretation limit enforcement Overall problem of sovereignty ( rights) a fair and equitable solution Conflict issuing from distrust Data and information gaps: centralization and control UN declarations and conventions remain mostly unratified Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Twelve countries have formally ratified the Watercourse Convention: Finland, Hungary, Jordan, Norway, South Africa, Syria, Lebanon, Sweden, Namibia, Netherlands, Qatar, and Iraq The Convention has also been signed by another 10 countries with intent to ratify; however, they are not yet bound by the Convention: Ivory Coast, Germany, Luxembourg, Namibia, Netherlands, Tunisia, Paraguay, Portugal, Yemen, Venezuela, Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Transboundary Water Resources: Surface and Groundwater Discharge from transbounday flow Recharge contributing to transboundary flow Transboundary flow direction INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004 Freshwater Problems Quantity problem Quality problem Arid& semiarid climate Unsustainable water withdrawals Natural distribution Population pressures Global Environmental Change/climate & desertification Poverty/ urban Sewage &wastewater Local natural conditions Industrial & agricultural output Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Transboundary Water Resources P o l i c y I m p l i c a t i o n s Transboundary Water Resources Quality Technical Tools Water Balance Quantity Policy Rules & Law Institutional Framework Part B Part E Vision & Scenarios Part F Conclusions, Recommendations and Discussion Part A Problems Identification and Conflict Categorisation Part C Part D Tools &Rules Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Sustainable development is… “a process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are made consistent with future as well as present needs.” (World Commission on Environment and Development 1987: 9) Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Countries are committed to utilize Best Management Practices to enhance the efficiency of their water systems Water Demand Management is a key to conservation and sustainability. Emergence of a culture to that end is essential in water institutions and water users. Water Demand Management is critical to effective integrated Water Resources Management Middle East and North Africa countries will cooperate to develop key guidelines, standards and tools to support the implementation of Water Demand management activities Basin sharing countries will encourage the development of Water Demand Management strategies Demand Management principles consider the priorities of different users. Governments in the region will employ all means to ensure social and economic development and equity. The creation of a receptive regulatory environment for Demand Management while providing economic incentives that facilitate enforcement is essential for success of these programs. Water institutions will develop awareness and educational programs to create am enabling environment for Water Demand Management. Governments and stakeholders will consider all facets of water economics in water sector planning, with due consideration of social and political constraints.   Environmental and ecological demands will be considered as an important factor in Water Demand Management programs. Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004 Vision 150 l/c/d PNA + IL Israeli Scenario Technologies Palestinian Scenario International Rules Joint Israeli Palestinian Scenario Business as Usual Strategy Integrated Management Tools, Suggested Model The International Rules Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

Water transfer from Turkey ISRAEL TIBERIA LAKE HAIFA Y A R M U K R I V E R MEDITERRANEAN YARMUK SEA ' JORDAN RIVER DIVERSION HADERA BET SHEAN ENLARGED CONVEYAN SYSTEM TEL AVIV PALESTINE ASHDOD WEST BANK AMMAN ASHKELON HISBAN GAZA JERUSALEM DISI PROJECT DEAD SEA ISRAEL JORDAN Desalination plants Water transfer from Turkey water pipe from Turkey EILAT AQABA RED SEA A/459/02/KARTTA4 Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004

According to Burt (1992), a vision is a realistic, credible, attractive future for certain activities, reviewing the image for certain time or period. For the purposes of this study, the Israeli-Palestinian water vision is defined as the water situation when the minimum water requirement is satisfied in the area in the coming twenty years. Instead the goal of the two parties, the Israelis and the Palestinians, of securing the Minimum Water Requirement (MWR) to meet human needs was unofficially stated at the round table discussions during the 7th International Conference of the Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Quality Sciences in Jerusalem in June 13-18, 1999, that was attended by Israeli (e.g. Shuval Hillel, Sinian Netanyahu) and Palestinian (Adnan Shqueir, and a member of the Palestinian Council for the Oslo Accord) water professionals as well as the author. Asheesh/Antalya 10-14 Oct. 2004