History and Recent Developments
Since 1948, the development of the water and sanition sector in the Palestinian territories is strongly linked to the development of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. According to the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Jewish and Palestinian communities used similar quantities of water prior to the conflict. The first restrictions on the development of wells in the West Bank, which at that time was under Jordanian administration have been introduced by Israel in 1949. Since then the water consumption gap between Jordanians and Israelis began to widen.
Upon the signing of the Declaration of Principles (DOP) and the 1995 Interim Agreement, the Palestinian Authority (PA) inherited an extremely weak water sector characterized by serious institutional fragmentation. Inadequate conditions in terms of water access and quality are still common, and the legal framework of the relevant institutions often remains unclear. The increasing demand for this valuable resource has obliged the Palestinian government to secure additional quantities of water, increase the efficiency of water supply systems, and attempt to solve the obvious technical limitations to achieve sustainable development. Accordingly, the demand remains constrained by water allocations specified in the 1995 Interim Agreement.
In 1995, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) was established by a presidential decree. One year later, its functions, objectives and responsibilities were defined through a by-law, giving the PWA the mandate to manage water resources and execute the water policy.
Read more about this topic: Water Supply And Sanitation In The Palestinian Territories
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