LONDON, October 27, 2009 (WAFA)- Amnesty International accused Tuesday Israel of denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over the shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies.
They state that Israel uses more than 80% of the Mountain Aquifer, one of many water sources for Israel and the only one for the West Bank.
In a report Amnesty said: Lack of access to adequate, safe, and clean water has been a longstanding problem for the Palestinian population of the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT0. Though exacerbated in recent years by the impact of drought-induced water scarcity, the problem arises principally because of Israeli water policies and practices which discriminate against the Palestinian population of the OPT. This discrimination has resulted in widespread violations of the right to an adequate standard of living, which includes the human rights to water, to adequate food and housing, and the right to work and to health of the Palestinian population.
The inequality in access to water between Israelis and Palestinians is striking. Palestinian consumption in the OPT is about 70 litres a day per person – well below the 100 litres per capita daily recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) – whereas Israeli daily per capita consumption, at about 300 litres, is about four times as much. In some rural communities Palestinians survive on far less than even the average 70 litres, in some cases barely 20 litres per day, the minimum amount recommended by the WHO for emergency situations response.
Access to water resources by Palestinians in the OPT is controlled by Israel and the amount of water available to Palestinians is restricted to a level which does not meet their needs and does not constitute a fair and equitable share of the shared water resources. Israel uses more than 80 per cent of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, the only source of underground water in the OPT, as well as all of the surface water available from the Jordan River of which Palestinians are denied any share.
The stark reality of this inequitable system is that, today, more than 40 years after Israel occupied the West Bank, some 180,000 – 200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities there have no access to running water and even in towns and villages which are connected to the water network, the taps often run dry. Water rationing is common, especially but not only in the summer months, with residents of different neighbourhoods and villages receiving piped water only one day every week or every few weeks. Consequently, many Palestinians have no choice but to purchase additional supplies from mobile water tankers which deliver water at a much higher price and of often dubious quality. As unemployment and poverty have increased in recent years and disposable income has fallen, Palestinian families in the OPT must spend an increasingly high percentage of their income – as much as a quarter or more in some cases – on water.
In the Gaza Strip, the only water resource, the southern end of the Coastal Aquifer, is insufficient for the needs of the population but Israel does not allow the transfer of water from the West Bank to Gaza. The aquifer has been depleted and contaminated by overextraction and by sewage and seawater infiltration, and 90-95 per cent of its water is contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Waterborne diseases are common.
Stringent restrictions imposed in recent years by Israel on the entry into Gaza of material and equipment necessary for the development and repair of infrastructure have caused further deterioration of the water and sanitation situation in Gaza, which has reached crisis point.
Water shortages and poor sanitation services in the OPT affect all sectors of the Palestinian population and especially the poorest and most vulnerable communities, those living in isolated rural areas and in overcrowded refugee camps.
While Palestinians throughout the OPT are being denied access to an equitable share of the shared water resources and are increasingly affected by the lack of adequate water supplies, Israeli settlers face no such challenges - as indicated by their intensive-irrigation farms, lush gardens and swimming pools. The 450,000 Israeli settlers, who live in the West Bank in violation of international law, use as much or more water than the Palestinian population of some 2.3 million.
The restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinians' access to water supplies in the OPT are manifested in multiple ways: control of water resources and land, and restrictions on the movement of people and goods make it excessively difficult for Palestinians to access their water resources and to develop and maintain the water and sanitation infrastructure. Furthermore, a complex system of permits which the Palestinians must obtain from the Israeli army and other authorities in order to carry out water-related projects in the OPT has delayed and rendered more costly, and in many cases prevented, the implementation of much needed water and sanitation projects.
During more than four decades of occupation of the Palestinian territories Israel has overexploited Palestinian water resources, neglected the water and sanitation infrastructure in the OPT, and used the OPT as a dumping ground for its waste – causing damage to the groundwater resources and the environment. Urgent measures are now needed to ensure that adequate water supplies are made available today and in the future, and to prevent further damage to the water resources and the environment.
Israeli policies and practices in the OPT, notably the unlawful destruction and appropriation of property, and the imposition of restrictions and other measures which deny the Palestinians the right to water in the OPT, violate Israel's obligations under both human rights and humanitarian law.
Due to Israel's failure to fulfil its obligations, as the occupying power, the burden of dealing with these challenges has fallen to international donors and, since its establishment in the mid 1990s, to the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), and other local service providers, all of whom depend on international donors for funds. Yet, the Israeli authorities continue to obstruct Palestinian and international efforts to improve access to water in the OPT.
In the face of water shortages and amid deepening poverty in recent years some Palestinians have resorted to drilling unlicensed wells, while others have connected to the water network illegally, and many have stopped paying their water bills. These practices have further compounded the problem by undermining the economic viability and the authority of the PWA, which has proved to be unable or unwilling to stop such practices.
The restrictions imposed by Israel on access to and development of water resources for Palestinians have been accompanied by other factors that have hindered the efficient delivery of many urgently needed water and sanitation projects in the OPT. These include the PWA's near-total dependence on international donors for funds, donors' choices and priorities, and poor coordination among donors. Adding to this, the PA and PWA have been beset by internal divisions compounded by weak and fragmented management structures, lack of expertise and of political will, and allegations of mismanagement and corruption.
This report examines the main patterns and trends affecting access to water for Palestinians in the OPT, and analyses how these are impacting severely on the population's rights, as protected under international human rights and humanitarian law, and which are necessary for the Palestinians to live in dignity.
