Israel Flashcards
1
Q
What is the climate like in Israel/Palestine?
A
- Warm
- High evaporation
- low rainfall
- rain falls in north during winter
2
Q
How much water does Israel naturally have access to?
A
- 0.6bn m^3 of surface water
- 1.1bn m^3 of groundwater
- accessible via springs
3
Q
What is seawater incursion?
A
- Freshwater holds back seawater
- removal of freshwater allows seawater to infiltrate
- Coastal aquifer in Israel is 20-50m below sea level
- Are unconsolidated
- Upward leakage of saline water into aquifers occurs
- Extraction occurs at 40-70m below sea level
- results in aquifer no longer being fit for drinking
4
Q
What industries are present in Israel?
A
- Agricultural industry
- exports bananas, citrus, dates
- Technology industry
- IT
- Military R&D
5
Q
Which aquifers do Palestinians have access to?
A
- Eastern Aquifer in West Bank
- Gaza Aquifer in Gaza
- West Bank sits on West and North Aquifer
- Yet Israeli military does not grant permits to allow for Palestinian extraction of water
6
Q
What water sources are there in Israel and Palestine?
A
- Jordan River
- flow is virtually used up
- Dead Sea is shrinking as a result
- Israel still diverts flow though
- Mountain Aquifer, 80% controlled by Israel
- North, largely unpolluted
- East, overdrawn and saline
- West, largely unpolluted
- Gaza Aquifer
- heavily overdrawn and polluted
- only 4% drinkable
- Coastal Aquifer
- depleted and suffers from seawater incursion
- Sea of Galilee
- National Water Carrier carries water from here to rest of Israel
7
Q
Why are some natural sources of water no longer a viable source in Israel and Palestine?
A
- Extraction of water has left River Jordan extremely salinated
- Untreated sewage and agricultural runoff off infiltrate into Coastal Aquifer
- also suffers from seawater incursion
- unfit for human use
8
Q
What risk does groundwater extraction have?
A
- Subsidence of structures sitting on top of aquifers
- sinkholes may even form
- may not be recharged if consolidated
9
Q
When does water stress occur?
A
- When supply is less than 1700m^3 per person
10
Q
When does water scarcity occur?
A
- When supply is less than 1200m^3 per person
11
Q
What are reasons for global increase in water stress?
A
-
Pollution from agriculture/industry/domestic use
- reduces amount of usable water
-
Rising demand from emerging economies
- rising population and quality of life improvements
- industrialisation uses water as well
- Overextraction from rivers/lakes/reservoirs
- Poor governance means poor communities can’t access or afford water
- Bottom billion can’t pay for water
- even though absolute poverty is falling
12
Q
What affect has lack of water had on Gazans?
A
- 10% of all disease in Gaza has been due to water shortages
- 13-14% increase in patients admitted to Gaza with kidney failure yearly
- due to extreme dehydration
- Blockade on Gaza ensures only 15% of needed equipment to ensure water supply and hygiene of hospitals is received
- Climate change is worsening this
- 2ºC regional increase
- 40% decrease in rainfall since 1950s
13
Q
What authority approves water facilities in West Bank?
A
- Joint Water Committee
- Set up as part of 1995 Oslo Accords
- PA and Israel can veto each other propositions
14
Q
Why did Rawabi experience difficulties in acquiring its water supply?
A
- PA refused to approve water infrastructure for Israeli settlements
- Israel took revenge by blocking Rawabi infrastructure along with all West Bank infrastructure proposals
- Netanyahu made an exception in 2015 for Rawabi after huge international pressure
- still required PA to approve settlement supply
15
Q
What are the problems with Rawabi?
A
- Rawabi is still only approved to received enough water for 5000 residents
- Growth and appeal are limited
- Water supply is in the hands of Israel
- can cut off water at any time as retaliation
