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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11889/2632
Title: | Water Footprint of the Palestinians in the West Bank | Authors: | Mimi, Ziad Siebel, Maarten Zaag, Pieter van der Nazer, Dima Gijzen, Huub |
Issue Date: | 2008 | Publisher: | Wiley InterScience | Abstract: | Water in the West Bank of Palestine is a key issue due to its limited availability. Water is used
from own sources for domestic, industrial, and agricultural purposes. Moreover, water is consumed in its virtual
form through consumption of imported goods, such as crops and livestock, the production of which used water in
the country of production. In addition, wastewater in many parts of the West Bank is disposed off without treatment
into the wadis, deteriorating the quality of the water resources in the area and, therefore, further reducing
the quantity of good quality water available. This paper calculates the water footprint for the West Bank. The
consumption component of the water footprint of the West Bank was found to be 2,791 million m3 ⁄ year. Approximately
52% of this is virtual water consumed through imported goods. The West Bank per capita consumption
component of the water footprint was found to be 1,116 m3 ⁄ cap ⁄ year, while the global average is 1,243 m3 ⁄ cap ⁄-
year. Out of this number 50 m3 ⁄ cap ⁄ year was withdrawn from water resources available in the area. Only
16 m3 ⁄ cap ⁄ year (1.4%) was used for domestic purposes. This number is extremely low and only 28% of the global
average and 21% of the Israeli domestic water use. The contamination component of the water footprint was not
quantified but was believed to be many times larger than the consumption component. According to the official
definition of water scarcity, the West Bank is suffering from a severe water scarcity. Therefore, there is a need
for a completely new approach towards water management in the West Bank, whereby return flows are viewed
as a resource and that is geared towards a conservation oriented approach of ‘‘use, treat, and reuse.’’ Water rights - West Bank Water supply - West Bank Water conservation - West Bank |
Description: | SIEBEL,maarten: van der Zaag,PIETER: nase,dima: gijzen,Huub: | URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11889/2632 |
Appears in Collections: | Fulltext Publications |
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