From Water Scarcity to Sustainable Water Use in the West Bank, Palestine

About this book

Adequate management of water resources is important, specifically when resources are limited. A starting point for adequate management of water is knowledge about water use. One way of expressing water use is through the concept of water footprint which can be used to determine the level of water scarcity of a specific country. Water scarcity is increasing all over the world because of growing population and increasing demands. Countries with limited water resources are urgently in need for a new approach towards water management by shifting from the 'use and dispose' approach to the 'use, treat and reuse' approach. The book proposes a framework for the sustainable management of scarce water resources. The approach is based on the application of Cleaner Production thinking to water management.

This book focuses on the West Bank in Palestine. The West bank suffers from extreme water scarcity, has (for political reasons) less water than is naturally available, and anticipates an increase in demand for water for reasons of population and economic growth. Therefore, the West Bank needs to shift away from the present approach to water. The book proposes a set of alternatives for sustainable water management in the domestic, agricultural and industrial sectors in the West Bank. Implementing a combination of water management alternatives as proposed in this book will put the water management in the West Bank in Palestine on the sustainable track.

Contents

Introduction; 2. Water footprint of the Palestinians in the West Bank; 3. Financial, environmental and social evaluation of water mangement options; 4. Optimizing irrigation water use; 5. Saving water and reducing pollution in the unhairing-liming process in the leather industry; 6. A strategy for sustainable water management in the West Bank, Palestine; 7. Conclusions and recommendations.

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Biography

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, The Netherlands