The quality and sustainability of the water resources available to Arab villages to the west of the divide in the southern West Bank

Abstract

Springs discharging to the Mediterranean Sea drainage systems provide domestic and irrigation water for a group of Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank. Analysis of the water sampled from 70 of these springs at three-monthly intervals from September 1998 to May 1999 determined its suitability for the various uses to which it is put, based on internationally accepted chemical and biological standards. The 1998–99 rainy season was one of the driest on record, causing hardship to those dependent on springs, which diminished in flow or completely dried up. The springs in the area selected have not received the attention their significance deserves. Some of these rural agricultural villages are little removed from subsistence farming. All of these springs are contaminated with bacteria, some dangerously. Chemical pollutants were also observed in many of the springs. There are some rain-fed cisterns, but these too are often contaminated. A few villages receive some water from the network. This study considers the steps which ought to be taken to improve the quality of water, especially drinking water, and suggests possibilities for increasing the amount of water available. It also seeks to determine to what extent these villages can survive as demands for water increase.