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Pollution Sector- Raeda Qarabesah, Benjamin Ruddell, and Abi Tan
1. Summary and Purpose
The Wadi el-Far'a watershed is threatened by rapid population growth in the city of Nablus and several refugee camps, as well as by continued economic pressures from the Israeli occupation. The stream is fed by a number of perennial springs and provides water for a significant portion of Palestine's agriculture. Water pollution and water shortages are becoming more acute as urban and refugee areas continue to grow and pumping from the groundwater for both legitimate and illegal purposes becomes more prevalent. Water sources that were once pristine are now contaminated. Under the Israeli occupation local government is unable to coordinate, regulate or enforce the just and equitable distribution of water supplies or the environmentally sound disposal of wastes. Together these factors have resulted in a crisis in public health and economics.The pollution sector of the project is of importance given the current lack of information concerning the nature and extent of the contamination of the watershed. The springs, wells, and streams in the study of the catchment area represent the major source of water for agricultural and domestic purposes for the watershed's inhabitants. With a survey of environmental pollution and water resources we hope to prioritize feasible, practical, and sustainable short and long-term environmental solutions for the region. Towards this end an attempt was made to take a survey of current water quality and supply in the valley. This data was to be correlated with land use survey data and historical data. The details of this survey and its results are outlined below, along with recommendations for future study and work in the Wadi el-Far'a.
The purpose of the pollution survey is to establish the
quantity and identity of municipal and agricultural pollutants in the
Wadi Far'a surface waters, and to locate the sources of these pollutants.
In addition it hopes to make recommendations for improving the condition
of the watershed in terms of water quality and quantity.
The Calvin College and Birzeit University teams met in Amman, Jordan to organize and coordinate plans for the project in July and August 2001. The parameters for testing were determined as well as the methods of collection and analysis. Raida would take water, soil and plant samples every ~2km along the Wadi el-Far'a and its tributaries. She was told take three samples at each springhead to accurately establish discharge quality from the aquifer (three samples are required given the unpredictable flow patterns at a spring head). The samples were to be submitted to the Palestinian Water Authority for laboratory analysis of the following parameters:
| Na | BOD | NO3 |
|
Mg |
K | HCO3 |
| Ca | TDS | Coliform (FC) |
| SO4 | PH | Cl |
The sector team plotted the results from the analysis on a layer of
the GIS map and interpreted the information by correlation to agricultural
and municipal land use along the Wadi el-Far'a.
A preliminary report was written using background information gathered
in the first stage of the project. Research was done on the water catchment
and its context including socioeconomic, water resources, landuse, agricultural
practices, and general studies on wastewater quality. Included in these
studies was a hot spot unpublished report by the Ministry of Environmental
Affairs (See Appendix B). Ministries and Institutions were visited throughout
Jordan and Palestine, information was gathered and interviews conducted
by the sector staff. Previous studies on water quality in the region
were also collected at this point from the Palestinian Water Authority
(PWA), the Palestinian Hydrology Group (PHG), and Birzeit University.
3. Conclusion
Our study reveals that the area has numerous problems not only with the quantity and availability of water resources, but also in regards to water quality and pollution. The lack of clean drinking water poses numerous health risks for the local population. Our recommendations address three basic areas: Increasing the availability of potable water resources and water for irrigation, changing practices that perpetuate the problem of pollution of currently available resources, and cleaning up and addressing already contaminated sites and health and occupational concerns that have arisen as a result of the pollution. Education is an essential component of our recommendations. Our goal is to assist the Palestinian people in establishing autonomy and self-sufficiency. Longevity of the changes and improvements made in the area is dependent on active community support and involvement. The following is a list of recommendations and solutions to some of the problems surveyed in the watershed divided into short and Long-term solutions according to the problem addressed. In the long term, just and effective government must coordinate sustainable and equitable distribution of water resources and enforce environmental health. In the short term, fundamental development techniques and aid should be applied to the residents of the Wadi el-Far'a according to their needs. An ongoing and more sophisticated independent professional survey of pollution will be needed to quantify and prioritize these needs, and to verify the effectiveness of aid.