W Bank in 'grave' water crisis
Israeli human rights group B'Tselem says the West Bank is facing
grave water shortages largely because Israel's "discriminatory"
policies.
The group criticises the distribution of joint water resources and
limits placed by Israel on the Palestinian Authority's ability to drill
new wells.
"It will have serious repercussions on the economy and health,"
B'Tselem said. West Bank per capita water use is about 66 litres a day -
just two-thirds of the recommended international minimum.
The accumulated effects of a series of dry years would make matters
worse in the months to come, the group added. Per capita water
consumption by Israeli settlers in the West Bank is 3.5 times that of
Palestinians, B'Tselem says.
Water consumption per head of the population is calculated by
including the consumption of livestock.
-BBC |