Data Collection Questionnaire

MEDA DATABASE ON TRANSBOUNBDARY AQUIFERS Version 2.1.1  3/09/07 (ESCWA-UNESCO-UNECA-UNECE) QUESTIONNAIRE ON TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS IN THE MEDA REGION

Please complete using Word document format.

Please complete a separate questionnaire for each aquifer

Please return by e-mail to: al-mooji@un.org and R.Stephan@unesco.org with copies to: iganouli@civil.auth.gr and a.aureli@unesco.org, by 31st August 2007.

1.         NAME OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFER, LOCATION & COUNTRIES

Please give the name(s) or other identification property of the shared aquifer, its approximate location (province, department) and say which countries share it.

The Western Aquifer, shared between Palestine, Israel and Egypt

 

2.         AQUIFER CHARACTERISTICS

2. 1      Please look at the four simplified pictures below and indicate which of them most closely characterises your transboundary aquifer. If none, please provide a conceptual sketch of your transboundary aquifer in the blank box below.

Please tick: Example 1  2  3  4  5

 

 

 

 

 

Schematic Presentation Showing the Extent of Palestinian Aquifers inside Israel

 

 

General Characteristics

Aquifer hydrogeological type porous   karstic     fissured rock

other Predominant lithology........Limestone..........................................................................................……….

Stratigraphic age……Cretaceos-Teritiary (Albian,Cenomanian) ……………………………………………….

Areal extent (km2) 9158 (1705 km2 inside the West Bank) and 7453 km2... inside Israel..2300 Km2 inside Egypt...............

Population resident in this area and main occupation……772,000 in side West Bank… Thickness: mean (m)..950...........  maximum (m)..1150.............  

Shared international boundary length (km)…206 Km………………………… Dominant groundwater flow direction: from.. ....Palestine....................... to ..........Israel..................... (countries)

Link with surface water systems:

Strong            medium         weak

2.3 Map

Please provide a clear map of the transboundary aquifer, including aquifer boundaries and geographical coordinates. The map should preferably be supplied as a GIS-file

 

 

2.4 Hydrogeological Characteristics and Groundwater Use

Rainfall: average annual and seasonal distribution ………average annual rainfall is ……550mm, min 250 mm, Max 1000m………………………

Recharge / discharge area…

The Western aquifer is the largest basin in Historical Palestine (9158). Most of the basin area lies inside Israel (81% or 7453 Km2).

The opposite in the case for the aquifer information outcrops (with 1381 km2 or 73%) inside the West Bank, out of a total of 1904km2 recharge area).  These outcrop zones are broken down into different rainfall areas as follows: A vary small area (99 km2) lies in the dry zone. The biggest area (1589 km2 or 83 %) is of medium precipitation and another relatively small area (216 km2) falls in the wet zone.

The amount of rain on aquifers inside the West Bank is thus almost three times as high as in Israel. More than 73% (761 MCM/a) out of a total of 1042 MCM/a) rains on the Palestinian aquifer outcrops.

According and by applying the above formulas, the recharge origins of the West Basin arelargely Palestinian: 244 MCM/a, out of a total of 332 MCM/a) (73%) come from the West Bank and only the remaining quarter of it is originated in Israel.…………………………..

 

1

2

3

4

 

Basin Area km2

Outcrop area by rain zone and total

C-T+Eocene+Alluvial (Km2)

Rain on Aquifer

Outcrop (MCM/a)

Recharge by rain zone (MCM/a)

Isr

Pal

Sum

Israel

Pal

Sum

Isr

Pal

Sum

Isr

Pal

Sum

Wet

 

 

 

12.31

203.42

215.73

 

3

51

24

Medium

 

 

 

451.46

1137.73

1589.19

 

83

191

274

Dry

 

 

 

58.68

40

98.68

 

2

2

4

Sum

7453

2705

9158

522.45

1381.15

1903.60

281

761

1042

88

244

332

%

81%

19%

 

27%

73%

 

27%

73%

 

27%

73%

 

 

Level changes (m/yr) – natural, induced by pumping, or other reasons Natural: recharge area: tens of meters

Discharge areas: a few meters due to high rainfall events in 91/92, water level increases 8-10 m above …

Total available non- renewable groundwater reserves (Mm3/yr): …N/A…………………

Total available annually renewable groundwater resources (Mm3/yr):400…………………

Total groundwater abstractions (Mm3/yr) (estimated where not measured) …400……………………

Flow in/out across national boundary (Mm3/yr)……380………………………….

Groundwater flow direction and gradient across boundary…East-west to East Northwest………………………………..

Water uses (total, by sector, principal uses, current - estimated and future -projected)…

Total:400

Uses

Palestine

Israel

Agriculture

15.5

0

Domestic

5.5

380

Principal use:agricultural and demostic

 

Palestine

Israel

Current use (Mcm/yr)

20

380

Projected use (Mcm/yr)

150

250

 

Deficits and other resource concerns (e.g. quality, extremes, environmental degradation, interactions withsurface water bodies / other aquifers)

Deficits and Concerns

1.       Over pumping and mismanagement of aquifer by Israelis. In drought years they pump almost twice recharge volumes.

2.       Sewage pollution of dumping untreated sewage in wadies over the outcrops of the aquifer.

3.       Salinity problems in some locations

4.       Industrial waste by Israeli industrial zones on the outcrops of the aquifer.

 

3. MONITORING DATA

Please note that stakeholders should comply with the WMO Resolution 25 on international exchange of hydrological and related data. (http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html).  If appropriate insert Excel tables into the Word document in order to provide information and available data on quantity, quality and accessibility, including:

·         Observation networks

·         Maps, with available scales, GIS and remote sensing imagery     Steady State and Transient Flow Model of the Western Aquifer basin

·         Type of data and monitoring equipment

·         Data archives and their adequacy

·         Institutions in charge

·         Research centres

 

3.1 Quantity

·         No. of monitoring stations

·         Frequency of measurements ……………………………….see report

·         Water levels

·         Additional information

 

3.2 Quality

·         No. of monitoring sites

·         Frequency of measurements                             see report

·         Nitrogen compounds

·         Salinity and major ions

·         Heavy metals

·         Pesticides

·         Industrial organic compounds

 

4. IMPORTANCE OF TRANSBOUNDARY GROUNDWATERS Uses and Functions

Does the groundwater in this transboundary aquifer have direct uses and/or other functions?

No

 

Why not?

Irrelevant groundwater resource

or:

 

 

 

Problems with groundwater (if yes, indicate these in section 5)

Yes

 

 Uses

Shared Aquifer Groundwater as % of total water use in the area  Total Shared Groundwater as % of total water use  Total Groundwater as % of total water use

…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Other functions

Support of  ecosystems  Support of agriculture    (directly from shallow water table) Preventing land subsidence    Maintaining baseflow and springs Seasonal heatstorage    Any other function    (please specify)

 

Groundwater abstraction and use in the aquifer

Indicate in the table the percentage of total groundwater abstraction accounted for by each

use

Type of use

Percentage

If you do not know the exact percentage, than mark one of the following options

< 25 %

25 – 50 %

50 – 75 %

> 75 %

Drinking water

74

 

 

*

 

Irrigation

26

 

*

 

 

Industry

0

 

 

 

 

Mining

0

 

 

 

 

Thermal spa

0

 

 

 

 

Livestock

negligible

 

 

 

 

Other (please specify)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please indicate the year to which these figures apply...Average 80-98).............

5. WHICH PROBLEMS ARE OBSERVED IN TRANSBOUNDARY GROUNDWATERS?

5.1

Problems related to groundwater quantity  Israel controls utilisation of the aquifer

a)

Specify if possible the average trend of groundwater level decline (m/year)..0.5-1 m/yr

b)

Indicate in the table the type and scale of problem associated with groundwater abstraction

 

from the aquifer

 

Problem

Increasing scale of problem

 

1. Local and moderate

2. Local but severe

3. Widespread but moderate

4. Widespread and severe

Increased pumping lifts or costs

*

 

 

 

Reduction of borehole yields

*

 

 

 

Reduced baseflow and springflow

 

 

 

*

Degradation of ecosystems

 

 

 

*

Sea water intrusion

 

*

 

 

Salt water upconing/downconing

*

 

 

 

Polluted water drawn into aquifer

 

 

*

 

Land subsidence 

*

 

 

 

Other (please specify)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.2 Problems related to groundwater quality

Indicate in the table the type, nature and scale of groundwater quality problems in the aquifer

Problem

Nature of problem

Typical range of concentrations

Mg/l

Scale, using classes 1-4 from table above 

Natural origins

From human activities

Salinisation 

*

 

300-700

1

Nitrogen species

 

*

N/A

1

Pesticides

 

*

N/A

1

Heavy metals

 

*

N/A

1

Pathogens

 

 

 

1

Industrial organic compounds

 

 

 

 

Hydrocarbons

 

 

 

 

Other (please specify)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.3 Evidence for transboundary effects

a) Do you observe any decline of groundwater levels (or piezometric levels) caused or probably

caused by activities in neighbouring countries?    Yes

No

b) Do you observe any groundwater pollution caused or probably caused by activities in neighbouring countries? Yes   No

 

6. TRANSBOUNDARY MANAGEMENT MEASURES

Indicate in the table which measures are presently being implemented or need to be applied

Management Measures

Already used and effective

Used, but Need to be improved

Need to be applied

Currently planned

Transboundary institutions (commissions, agreements, treaties, etc.)

 

 

*

 

Groundwater abstraction management by regulation (licensing, taxation)

 

 

*

 

Groundwater abstraction management by incentives or disincentives (subsidies, credits, energy prices, energy supply, etc.)

 

 

*

 

Increasing efficiency of groundwater use

 

 

*

 

Monitoring of groundwater quantity 

 

 

*

 

Monitoring of groundwater quality

 

 

*

 

Public awareness campaigns

 

 

*

 

Protection zones for public supplies

 

 

*

 

Vulnerability mapping for land use planning

 

 

*

 

Good agricultural practices

 

 

*

 

Groundwater integrated into river basin management

 

 

*

 

Wastewater reuse or artificial recharge

 

 

*

 

Treatment of  urban wastewater

 

 

*

 

Treatment of industrial effluents

 

 

*

 

Exchange of data between countries

 

 

*

 

Other (please specify)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE PROPERTIES

Do you know of any cooperation between riparian states on transbounday aquifers? Is there any agreement regarding a transboundary aquifer in your region?  NO

8. NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS OF PERSON(S) COMPLETING THIS FORM:

Name……Amjad Aliewi & Jumana Abu Sada………………………………………

Institution……House of Water and Environment……(HWE)………………………………………… Address…41 Khaled Ibn El Walid Street

Al Sharafeh – Al Bireh

Ramallah-Palestine

P.O Box 1796

Tel: +972 0r (+970) 2 240 1776, Fax: +972 0r (+970) 2 240 68 48

E-mail: Amjad.aliewi@hwe.org.ps, jumana.abusada@hwe.org.ps