middle east: water heals political
wounds
foe middle
east
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Good
Water Neighbours staff members on the
border between Israeli and Palestinian
communities
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Water must be shared among countries, even
those with complex political borders. In
Israel, Palestine and Jordan, fresh water
is scarce, and sustainable management
policies are insufficient to quench the
thirst of people on all sides of the
border.
One of the most glaring problems is that
whereas water flows freely from the taps in
Israel, the Palestinian and Jordanian areas
suffer from a lack of sufficient drinking
water. The physical proximity of
communities along the border leads to anger
and frustration about this inequitable
situation.
Friends of the Earth Middle East
believes that the sustainable management of
water resources must include a region-wide
perspective and consider all peoples and
communities fairly. Their Good Water
Neighbours project aims to raise awareness
among eleven neighbouring communities on
different sides of the Palestinian-
Israeli-Jordanian borders about how to
share water. The immediate water needs of
participating communities are addressed,
and communities are trained in the saving
and reusing of water resources and the
treatment of sewage.
For example, the agricultural community
of Wadi Fukin on the Palestinian side of
the border needs water for domestic and
agricultural purposes. The Good Water
Neighbours project is investigating the
possibility of a wastewater treatment plant
that would allow water from Wadi Fukin as
well as from Tsur Hadassa across the border
to be reused for irrigation.
Household water tanks in many
Palestinian cities and villages have been
shot at, and either damaged or destroyed.
The Good Water Neighbours project is also
collecting donations to provide replacement
water tanks from Palestinian factories in
the West Bank. This will also provide much
needed jobs for local people.
news
: February
2005
Friends of the Earth Middle East has seen
progress on many trans-boundary
environmental issues. They are researching
the problem of solid waste disposal in the
Mountain Aquifer shared by Israelis and
Palestinians– what one community does on
one side of the border directly effects the
other. A member of the European Parliament
will visit FoE Middle East's “Good Water
makes Good Neighbours” project. And as part
of their Jordan River awareness campaign,
the group will hold a conference on “ Peace
Island ” on March 8 th , in the middle of
the Jordan River , which is facing an
environmental catastrophe due to pollution
and the diversion of its waters
more information:
Friends of the Earth Middle East:
www.foeme.org
