Demolition three Water Pools in Al Majnouna

Violation: demolishing 3 water pools.

Date: April 16, 2012.

Perpetrators: Israeli Occupation Civil Administration

Victims: Palestinians of Dura – Hebron.

 

On April 16, 2012, the Israeli Occupation Authorities demolished three water pools that were used to gather rain water. Kamel al Masri (56), an eyewitness said that Israeli troops accompanied by a dozer and two jackhammers broke into the area known as al Majnouna at 7:00 am before commencing the demolitions. However, the dozer waited at the main road. The jackhammers destroyed around 2 dunums of lands planted with beans and cauliflower in addition to the pools.

 

   

The pools, fed by a nearby spring, were used to irrigate the nearby fields. Malek Amr, owner of two of the pools, said that he received a stop-work order for one of the pools in 2011. He said that one of the pools was buried using dirt taken from a nearby unpaved road, ruining the road in the process. Amr’s pools are used to water 25 dunums, 5 of them are greenhouses. One of the pools was built in 1998 with a total cost of around 26,000 USD.

 

The third pool, property of the heirs of Mohammad Amr, was going to be used to irrigate 15-20 dunums that were to be planted with vegetables. Kamel al Masri said that the owners will now find it really difficult to irrigate their field knowing that they are now moving water from the nearby spring. It however, will be depleted in summer time. He pointed that he had to buy plastic tanks for storing water. Malek Amr prepared a file to object to the Civil Administration in an attempt to rescue the pool but his efforts were futile.

 

No.	Victim	Structure	Volume (m3)	built	Irrigated area (dunum)	picture
1	Malek Amr	Water pool	700	1998	25	4+   5
		Water pool	40	1965		6
2	Mohammad Amr Heirs	Water pool	120	1998	15-20	7+   8

*source: field visits – Israeli Human Rights Violations Monitoring Unit – LRC

 

 

It must be noted that targeting water sources has become a trend in al Majnouna area, which is considered the most fertile in southern West Bank. 700 families depend on agriculture on their income in the area. It also must be noted that the Israelis are renovating one of the structures in the evacuated military camp in the area in order to turn it into a medical center to serve colonies in southern West Bank.