Recently, Bethlehem governorate suffers from a real crisis of water and stifling due to insufficient supply of drinking water which results in a continuous water disconnection in some governorate areas and residential communities for long periods. The reason for this discontinuity in water supply is due to the limited drinking water resources in addition to some disabled pumping stations due to unavailability of money required to cover the operation and maintenance cost. Another important reason for this water crisis in Bethlehem governorate is the Israeli control over water resources and quantities supplied to the governorate by preventing the governorate from water which also increase the Palestinian citizens suffering.
The renewable water resources in Bethlehem governorate mainly consist of groundwater. Bethlehem governorate is considered as the richest area of groundwater in the West Bank, where parts of both the eastern and the western groundwater aquifer basins extending within the governorate area. In addition to the groundwater, the rainwater also considered an important water resource in the Bethlehem Governorate where the estimated amount of water that can be collected from household roofs is about 1.8 MCM /year. 65% of the households in the governorate collect rainwater from their household roofs and store it in the household collection well, where the estimated amount of rainwater collected and stored in household collection wells is 1.16 MCM/year (PHG, 2007). But the fluctuation and the shortage in the average annual rainfall restrict the benefits from this source. The estimated rainfall quantity that fall on the governorate during winter season 2007/2008 reached about 360 mm according to the air quality and meteorology station in the applied research institute-Jerusalem (ARIJ) north to Bethlehem city. This quantity doesn�t exceeded 59% and 67% from the rainfall quantity that fall on the governorate in 2006/2007 and 2005/2006 seasons where it reached about 612 and 536 mm, respectively. To download full report, click here: Water Crisis in Bethlehem Governorate
Prepared by
The Applied Research Institute – Jerusalem
