SustainableEngineering@Edinburgh Water Issues:

Bridging Over WaterBy: Philip Close (0679651); Nadia Issa (0678203); Kirsty Mclarty (0678673); Jill Stewart (0673272)

IMS3 Sustainability Module, March 2009

ReferencesReferences•Water Related Vision For the Aral Sea Basin For The Year 2025, Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO 2000•BBC World News, as accessed on 10/03/09 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/678898.stm•Geographical and socio-economic dimensions of the Aral Sea crisis and their impact on the potential forcommunity action, University of Plymouth 1998 Academic PressTatyana S. Saiko•U.N. Human Development Report 2006. United Nations Development Programme. New York. 2006.•Allan, J. A., ed. Water, Peace and the Middle East: Negotiating Resources in the Jordan Basin. Boston: I. B. Tauris & Company, Limited, 1996.

Water is at the core of human interdependence. This resource,

however, is coming under increasing stress, and as a result, transboundary competition for shared rivers and other water resources is growing. While it is true that water has the potential to fuel conflicts, it can also act as a bridge for cooperation.

Middle East: The Jordan River

The River Jordan links the people, livelihoods and ecosystems of Israel, Jordan and the occupied Palestinian Territories through a common water source which is one of the Worlds most water-scarce areas. To make matters worse, the common resources are unequally shared.

The Occupied Palestinian Territories have access to 320m3 of water per capita annually, which is one of the lowest levels of water availability and well below the threshold of absolute scarcity.

Israel exercises political supremacy over the other riparian states due to its geographic location. Israel enforces exact water restrictions on Palestine, allowing Israel to use more water from the Jordan basin.

The Palestinian population is half the size of Israel but consumes only 10-15% as much water. This is a reflection of asymmetric power relations in water management.

With rapid population growth, declining water availability is tightening constraints on agriculture and human use.

Aral Sea: A Soviet Legacy

Originally 68,000km² surface area; has now shrunk to just 10% of its original size and has split in two

Increased salinity has killed off fish, flora and fauna

Water diverted by Soviet Union for irrigation purposes

Canal construction began on large scale between 1940s-1960s

Poor countries such as Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan rely on water for cotton irrigation, the mainstay of their economies

Saline and chemical residues left on the dry sea bed become airborne and pollute remaining fresh water supplies

Infant mortality and cancer rates 30 times higher than average

RegenerationA dam project was completed in 2005 to help restore the North Aral Sea, has increased water level by 2m

Salinity has dropped, increasing fish stocks and allowing ports to be reopened

Improvements to irrigation canals have reduced water losses from leakage

Possible Solutions for Efficient use of waterDiplomatic efforts:

Inter-basin transfer and ‘virtual water’ – the import of water and grains

Bilateral cooperation on the equal sharing of water resources

International legal framework for transboundary water disputes

Large infrastructure projects:

Desalination plans

Dams

Replenishing from other sources eg. Seas and rivers

Changing culture towards water usage:

Irrigation improvements

Charging for water use

Changing agricultural practices

Israeli settlers’ consumption

Palestinian consumption

620m3 <100m3

““Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over” Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over” – Mark Twain – Mark Twain

““WWe must be thinking like a river if we are to e must be thinking like a river if we are to leave a legacy of beauty and life for future leave a legacy of beauty and life for future generations” – David Browergenerations” – David Brower

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