27 January 1992
MULTILATERAL ISSUES
WATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST
COMMON WATER SOURCES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
Scarcity of water is a central problem throughout the entire Middle
East, and what is available is usually shared by more than one country.
Political boundaries are meaningless when dealing with the common use of
limited resources. Thus, water could serve as a catalyst for cooperation
for the advancement of peace and the development of the region and no
longer be a focal point for war, crises and tensions.
At present, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states deal with their water
shortages by operating desalination plants. Egypt is totally dependent
upon the Nile River for its water, with its supply affected both by
natural causes and by the states (Sudan, Ethiopia and Uganda) which
control the river sources and influence the flow of water. Iraq, Syria
and Turkey are mutually dependent for most of their water on the Tigris,
Euphrates and Orontes rivers, the damming of any one of which could
prove devastating for one or more of these countries. Lebanon, Syria,
Jordan and Israel draw most of their water from the same sources. In the
area west of the Jordan River, the residents of Israel, Judea-Samaria
and Gaza have shared the same water sources, both before 1967 and since.
WATER-ENHANCING PROGRAMS IN ISRAEL
Water is in constant short supply in Israel. Rain falls only between
November and April, with uneven distribution of yearly precipitation
ranging from some 28 in. (70 cm.) in the north to less than 2 in. (5
cm.) in the south. Water sources include the Jordan River, Lake Kinneret
(Sea of Galilee) and a few small river systems, as well as natural
springs and underground water tables, which are tapped in controlled
quantities to prevent depletion and salination. Annual renewable water
resources amount to some 56 billion cu. ft. (1.6 billion cu.m.), of
which 75 percent is used for agriculture.
To overcome regional imbalances in water availability, most of the
country's fresh-water sources have been joined in the National Water
Carrier, an integrated network of pumping stations, reservoirs, canals
and pipelines which transfers water from the north, where most of the
sources are, to the agricultural areas of the semi-arid south. As
maximum use has been made of all freshwater sources, ways are being
developed to exploit marginal water resources through the recycling of
waste water, cloud-seeding and desalination of brackish water.
The water-saving measures applied in Israel include:
Heightening public awareness to the need to conserve water;
Regulations on the use of water in both the private and public
sectors;
Encouraging the installation of water-saving devices in homes,
factories and farms;
Utilization of advanced water-saving devices such as drip irrigation,
which directs water flow straight to the root zone of plants, and
computerized irrigation systems;
Switching to growing less water-intensive crops as well as to hothouse
agriculture;
Enlarging underground reservoirs and building new facilities for
collecting rain water.
THE BENEFITS OF COOPERATION
Understanding of the need for cooperation in the use of the water
resources of the region was recognized as early as 1953 when the United
States proposed the Johnston Plan to allocate the waters of the Jordan
River, whose sources are shared by Israel and its neighbors. According
to this plan, 46.7 percent was to go to Jordan, 38.5 percent to Israel,
11.7 percent to Syria and 3.1 percent to Lebanon. Israel accepted the
agreement, but the Arab countries refused to sign any accord involving
Israel as a partner and mutual beneficiary. Although the Johnston Plan
was never ratified, Israel and Jordan have been tacitly abiding by its
quotas.
In the context of the Middle East peace process, the water issue could
serve as an important element in building relations between Israel and
the surrounding countries. Joint projects for desalination, the
recycling of waste water and making more efficient use of water for
irrigation would provide mutually beneficial areas of cooperation for
the betterment of the entire region.