1. 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 Oct. 2004

2. 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)
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3. 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
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4. 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
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5. millions people suffer from problems related to water quality
About 40 countries and one billion people will lack adequate water supply in 2025
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6. 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 Oct. 2004

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

8. 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
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9. Disagreement on course of action
Water and Conflict
Factual disagreement
Disagreement on course of action
Conflict about goals
Relational aspects
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10. Asheesh/Antalya Oct. 2004

11. 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 Oct. 2004

12. 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 Oct. 2004

13. 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)
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14. Scarcity index
Asheesh/Antalya Oct. 2004

15. 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 percent of the domestic demand
Asheesh/Antalya Oct. 2004

16. 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
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17. 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,
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18. Transboundary Water Resources: Surface and Groundwater
Discharge from transbounday flow
Recharge contributing to transboundary flow
Transboundary flow direction
INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY
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19. 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
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20. 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 Oct. 2004

21. 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)
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22. 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.
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23. 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
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24. 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
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25. 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 Oct. 2004