Maarten A. SiebelAssoc. Professor of Environmental Biotechnology

UNESCO-IHEDELFT, THE NETHERLANDSMaarten Siebel – UNESCO-IHE

Dima Nazer – Technical college Hebron, Palestine

FROM WATER SCARCITY TO SUSTAINABLE WATER USE IN THE

WEST BANK, PALESTINE

The West Bank has, for political reasons, less water than is naturally available

Total recharge

679 Mm3/year

Palestinian abstraction119 Mm3/year

Israeli abstraction648 Mm3/year

Balance: - 88 Mm3/year (2006) and increasing due to population/economic growth

232 m3

366m3

300m3Israe

l

USA

Europe

West Bank 50 m3

Reducing material input and – thus – final disposal

Material recyclingof end-of-life product

Recycling of production

waste

Re-use of productResources

Final disposal

Production Product use

Wastewater

Approach towards water use

Increasing material use efficiency

resourcesproducts

wastewaste

products

wasteproducts

Rain water harvesting systems

Install dry toilets Grey water reuse systemsLow flow shower heads

and faucet aeratorsPrevent leakage

Domestic water use

Process A

Evaluate

quality

Used-water

treatment

Process B Process C

Evaluate

quality

Evaluate

quality

Used-water

treatment

Used-water

treatment

Water Water

Rawmaterial

Product

Used-water Used-water

Used-water

Minimum waste

disposal

Industrial water use

Expanding rain-fed agricultureVirtual water tradeChanging cropping patterns

according to water useUsed-water reuseEfficient irrigation systemsWater pricing

Agricultural Water Use

In conclusion

Maarten A. Siebelm.siebel@unesco-ihe.org