The publications below are organized according to several EcoPeace projects that dealt with the region’s aquifers:
1) “Protecting Groundwater (PGW)” project
2) “Pro Aquifer” project
3) Earlier Research reports on the state of the Mountain Aquifer
1) PROTECTING GROUNDWATER
Protecting Ground Water – Final Project Publication
This is the Final Publication of EcoPeace’s “Protecting Ground Water” Project. The project aimed to promote sustainable management of water resources and to alleviate pollution of groundwater in the Mediterranean Basin, and concentrated on four regions: Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Malaga, Spain. A total of 30 municipalities from these four regions were selected to participate in the pilot project. While each of the four regions has its own specific environmental challenges related to groundwater pollution and sustainable management, there are also a number of shared challenges as well.
Click here for the Jordanian Publication (in Arabic)
Click here for the Israeli Publication (in Hebrew)
Malaga, Spain – Final Audit Report
This Final Audit Report, written by CRN S.A Consultores for the Malaga County Council, defines and maps the groundwater vulnerability and all the human activities, which impose/induce hazards to the ground water bodies in Anteqeura region. This report diagnoses the quality of groundwater in relation to human activities and land uses developed in their areas of influence, and finally, calculates the relative risk of pollution of aquifers in 7 municipalities in this region. This report is the basis for the Implementation Plans (also named Actions Plan) in each municipality, to be followed by consultants and responsible officers taking the necessary and possible measures and actions to mitigate and/or avoid those hazards.
Jordan – Strategic Master Plan
The Strategic Master Plan, written by Hijazi Hani and Al Ahmed Refaat from Green Sahara (Water & Environment, Studies and Consulting, GSWE), is the Hazards Reduction and Prevention (HRP) Implementation Plans for the seven Jordanian Communities in the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea Shores, which participated in the Protecting Ground Water project.The objective of this Strategic Master Plan and the detailed HRP implementation Plans is to enhance the capacities of the municipal staff in dealing with groundwater pollution. It is based on previous project stages, including: the HRP guidelines and the audit report of the current state of environmental hazards to groundwater in the Jordan Valley; and it provides a description of legislative and institutional frameworks in Jordan. The existing statutory regulations in regards to environmental protection and prevention of the potential pollution of the groundwater resources in Jordan provide tools for monitoring and preventing groundwater pollution.
Palestine – Implementation Plan
This Master Plan provides guidelines for the development of a framework to complement the work of the Palestinian National Water Management Strategy. The objective of these guidelines is ultimately to support protecting area groundwater from contamination. This framework will enable program partners to develop policies and strategies tailored to their specific legislative and resource management situations.
Institutional Mapping – Authorities and organizations that deal with Protection of Ground Water in Israel (Hebrew)
Contacts with relevant authorities and organizations are essential for hazard reduction and prevention implementation. This document contains contact details of all relevant Israeli organizations and was developed to assist the participating municipalities.
Ecolog – Model Description
Description of DRASTIC model and it’s usage to map ground water sensitivity in the areas of 9 Regional Councils in Israel.DRASTIC is a spatial hydrological GIS model, which calculates the ground water sensitivity (vulnerability), which is the excepted risk of a soluble pollutant to reach ground Water, and the risk of dispersion of the contamination in the aquifer.
Groundwater Contamination Hazards, Vulnerability and Risk GIS Mapping for Seven Municipalities in the Jordan Valley
This Audit Report of the Jordanian Communities was prepared by Dr. Samer A. Talozi, with contributions from Eng. Hani Hijazi. Mapping groundwater aquifer vulnerability through spatial hydrogeological assessment can pave the way for enhanced understanding of the sensitivity of natural systems to anthropogenic activities. This mapping is used to draw attention of decision makers and stakeholders to particular vulnerable areas.The focus of this report is enabling of municipalities in the Jordan Valley to identify and map groundwater pollution hazards and evaluate groundwater risk of contamination. This report outlines the procedures, tools and methodologies followed to achieve these goals. It also outlines the results and findings of our (PGW Project) study.
Vulnerability and Hazards maps of Palestinian Municipalities
Example report of Yatta can be viewed by clicking on the photo on the left.
See all Final Reports of Ground Vulnerability and Hazards maps of Palestinian Municipalities via the hyperlink (Dropbox).
These reports, carried out by HEC (Hydro- Engineering Consultancy), summarize the model used for calculating the risk to ground water from the different hazards in six Palestinian Municipalities in the West Bank. The reports also include the maps of Ground Water Vulnerability in the municipalities, all under the theoretical and methodological guidelines of COST-620.
Protecting Ground Water Brochure
This brochure gives a general description of the “Protecting Ground Water” project, being carried out in Israel, Palestine, Jordan and Spain, with short descriptions of the challenges in each country as well.
Click here for the brochure in Hebrew
2) “PRO AQUIFER”
Scientific Research Paper
This scientific research paper contains the risk analyses of hazards in Umm el Fahem and Tulkarem in terms of the threats these hazards pose to ground water.
Laymans Report
The Layman’s report provides an overview of EcoPeace’s ProAquifer project as a model for empowering local authorities to act to prevent pollution of ground water resources.
Its printed, hard copy version is issued in a single English, Arabic and Hebrew edition. The electronic versions are separated:
Guidelines for Palestinian Municipalities and Tulkarem Case Study
The policy papers analyze the municipal infrastructure and institutional structures of each case study municipality.
The Guidelines extrapolate from the lessons learned and recommendations for the case studies and provide more generic recommendations for other Israeli and Palestinian municipalities.
For the report in English, click here / For the report in Arabic, click here
Guidelines for Israeli Municipalities and Umm el Fahem Case Study
The policy papers analyze the municipal infrastructure and institutional structures of each case study municipality.
The Guidelines extrapolate from the lessons learned and recommendations for the case studies and provide more generic recommendations for other Israeli and Palestinian municipalities.
3) REPORTS ON THE MT. AQUIFER
Lost Water in a Thirsty Land: Pollution Springs in the West Bank
Far from the public eye, the support of small scale sanitation projects can make a big difference in the lives of communities and positively affect a scarcity that fuels, in part, an ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
With this report, EcoPeace Middle East calls on able institutions world wide to contribute to the easing of water hardship faced by rural Palestinian communities in the West Bank.
Health Crisis in the Making
Briefing paper describing the imminent health crisis to come if cooperation is not sought to protect shared water resources.
Click here for the Hebrew version
A Seeping Time Bomb: Pollution of the Mountain Aquifer by Solid Waste
Investigative Report Series on Water Issues No. 3.
This report examines the pollution threat to the shared Israeli-Palestinian water resource of the Mountain Aquifer from unsanitary disposal of solid waste by both people. Particular emphasis is given to municipal solid waste from domestic sources.
Pollution of the Mountain Aquifer by Sewage – Finding Solutions
Investigative Report Series on Water Issues No. 2.
This report is an update of EcoPeace’s report: A Seeping Time Bomb
A Seeping Time Bomb: Pollution of the Mountain Aquifer by Sewage
This report describes one of the most severe environmental problems threatening Palestinians and Israelis: large-scale pollution of freshwater resources. The Mountain Aquifer is a shared Israeli-Palestinian fresh water resource.
You can read the report in Hebrew by accessing this link