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Last update - 06:18 20/04/2009 World Bank: Israelis get four times more water than Palestinians By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: PA, Israel News, Water, Gaza The water-supply regime used by Israel and the Palestinians must be changed, according to a World Bank report that is to be published today. The report notes that an average Israeli gets four times as much water as the average Palestinian, and warns that the Palestinian Authority water system is "nearing catastrophe." It concludes by recommending that the current water-distribution arrangement, mandated as part of the Oslo II accords, be changed to improve the Palestinian system. Advertisement The report, requested by the PA, is likely to be particularly problematic for Israel due to the regional water crisis. The agreement between the two sides is asymmetrical and exacerbates the crisis greatly as far as the Palestinians are concerned. This is the first such document presented by the World Bank on the subject of Israeli and Palestinian water use. According to the report, the understandings reached at Oslo fall far short of fulfilling the needs of Palestinian civilians. The unequal division of the resources, as well as constraints on information regarding the area's water supply, have impeded the Palestinians' ability to develop water sources - a problem that is intensified by the weakness of Palestinian government institutions. The report says this has lead to an emergency situation with grave ramifications vis-a-vis the economy, the society and the ecology of the PA. Water-related humanitarian crises are frequent in parts of the West Bank and Gaza. The report states that Palestinians have access to only one-fifth of the mountain aquifer supply, while Israel pumps out the rest, reaching its allocated quota without due authorization from the joint water committee set up in the Oslo accords. Over-pumping from the aquifer creates a danger of salinity, the report maintains. It also notes that Palestinians dig comparatively shallow wells and cannot reach water sources, because of Israel's much deeper drilling. According to the World Bank, Israel has a satisfactory water distribution and management system, while the PA is struggling to maintain a minimal infrastructure with minimal financial means. In Gaza, the meager investment in water and sanitation has lead to a lack of water-quality control, posing great risk to public health. Related articles: Officials: Kinneret to suffer irrevocably if water not conserved Palestinian water authority: 40% of Gazans lack running water Officials: Hamas seizes control of Gaza water agency working with Blair Bookmark to del.icio.us   Failing Gilad Leaders of the effort to free captured IDF soldier take stock of their failed campaign. Swapping Jews for Nazis 500 Jews were spared thanks to Nazi-affiliated Templers living in the Holy Land   1.   This is a bit off-topic, I know.... 06:41  |  Jasper 20/04/09   2.   Water infrastructure 08:32  |  Freddy 20/04/09   3.   No more wasting of water then?? 08:39  |  Goy 20/04/09   4.   Spend money on drills not rockets 09:06  |  Gregor 20/04/09   5.   Ha 10:04  |  David 20/04/09   6.   to gregor 11:42  |  rm 20/04/09   7.   World Bank Report 12:12  |  HAL 20/04/09   8.   water discrimination 12:12  |  e.l 20/04/09   9.   Leaky pipes in Gaza 12:16  |  David Plane 20/04/09   10.   Israel is 50 times more developed than PA areas 12:28  |  saus 20/04/09   11.   Anti-semitism ? 13:17  |  Sam Soul 20/04/09   12.   THE MOST IMPORTANT PROBLEM 13:37  |  amihai 20/04/09   13.   Who Let thousands of Zimbabweans die??? 13:42  |  Bob 20/04/09   14.   drilling for tunnels 14:12  |  real vision 20/04/09   15.   Why Israel nbeeds to supply everything 14:30  |  Nir 20/04/09   16.   To Saus 15:16  |  Sam Soul 20/04/09   17.   Cause they took everything 16:01  |  Marcus 20/04/09   18.   water 18:02  |  colin 20/04/09   19.   To Jasper #1 18:42  |  Sam Soul 20/04/09   20.   To Sam Soul 00:30  |  Saus 21/04/09   21.   We Can`t drill deeper 10:17  |  Palestinian 21/04/09   22.   Not enough water for the Palestinians? 19:53  |  Ricardo Kolbe 21/04/09   23.   Why Israel needs to supply everything 17:01  |  Samuel 26/04/09

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