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August 5th, 2001
NOT EVEN A
DROP
200,000 Thirsty for Water
Some two hundred thousand Palestinians
living in 218 West Bank villages are not
connected to a water network, and therefore
have no running water. This population suffers
a severe water crisis. They are unable to meet
their basic water needs, including basic
hygiene, house cleaning and using the toilet,
and as a result, face significant health risks.
The restrictions on movement imposed by the
IDF since the beginning of the intifada
aggravate the crisis and make it difficult for
water tankers to transport water to the needy
communities.
The source of the water shortage in the
West Bank as a whole, and in villages without
water network in particular, derives mostly
from two factors:
the extremely inequitable division of the
water sources shared by Israel and the
Palestinians;
Israel's failure to invest in water
infrastructure throughout the years of
occupation.
Consequently, the average Israeli consumes
six times as much water as the average West
Bank Palestinian resident.
Since the establishment of the Palestinian
Authority, Israel has continued to maintain
almost complete control of the water sector in
the Occupied Territories. Every new water
project, including projects in Area A, which
is under "complete" PA control,
requires the consent of Israel's
representatives on the Israeli-Palestinian
Joint Water Committee. If the project is to be
implemented in Area C, Israeli Civil
Administration approval is also required.
Because of the dire situation, B'Tselem
urges Israel's government to:
operate, at least until the rainy season
and in addition to the regular supply provided
by the Mekorot water company, regional filling
stations throughout the West Bank, at which
owners of water tankers can purchase water for
supplying residents lacking sufficient water;
ensure that the water tankers are allowed
to move about freely and without delay at
checkpoints.
Weitere Informationen:
The World Bank
Averting a Water Crisis in the
Middle East and North Africa
Aaron T. Wolf, University of Alabama
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