an updated water budget for the western aquifer basin and potential for agricultural development in
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وليد صباح An updated Water budget for the western aquifer basin and potential for Agricultural development in the west bank, Palestine.TRANSCRIPT
Submitted to the conference on Submitted to the conference on
Water Crisis and Agricultural Development in Palestine
Conference Topic: Water and Agricultural Policies in Palestine
May 21-22, 2012
Disclaimer: This work represents the opinion of
the authors and does not represent the views of the Utah Geological Survey and/or the Brigham Young University.
The Western Aquifer
Basin (WAB) is a shared
inter-boundary
groundwater basin
between the West Bank
and Israel. Two thirds
of the Palestinians in of the Palestinians in
the West Bank (1.5
million capita) are
living within the
upstream portion of the
WAB, where 75 percent
of its geologic aquifer
outcrops (recharge
area) are located.
� This paper presents an updated average
water budget for the Western Aquifer
Basin shared between the West Bank
and Israel based on the 10-year (2001-
2010) average available records of 2010) average available records of
hydro-meteorological data.
� Study the potential for agricultural
development in Tulkarem and Qalqiliya
governorates.
The WAB consists of two main aquifers:
� The Upper Cenomanian-Turonian Aquifer (upper
aquifer; 200-250 meters of average thickness)
� The Lower Cenomanian Aquifer (lower aquifer; 300-
400 meters of average thickness).
Both aquifer layers are separated by an
intermediate aquitard layer (100-150 meters
thick). However, in some places both
aquifers are hydraulically connected to form
a one combined aquifer known as the
Cenomanian-Turonian Aquifer.
Spatial Distribution of Precipitation
Spatial Distribution of Evapotranspiration
Spatial Distribution of Runoff
Spatial Distribution of Recharge
� Modified Penman-Montieth method was used to estimate the ET0 based on available weather data. Crop properties and estimated ET0 were used to estimate the crop evapotranspiration using the equation: ETc = Kc * ET0
The Water Budget was estimated using the � The Water Budget was estimated using the equation:
P – ETc – Ru – Re = Change in storage/minor losses
where,
P Precipitation/Rainfall grid
ETc Crop evapotranspiration grid
Ru Runoff grid (Rainfall Excess)
Re Recharge grid
� The 10-year average water budget volumes
for the entire WAB (WB + Israel) were
estimated at :
� Precipitation is 1143 MCM/yr � Precipitation is 1143 MCM/yr
� ETc is 690 MCM/yr
� Runoff is 47 MCM/yr
� Recharge is 350 MCM/yr
� The 10-year average water budget volumes
for the West Bank portion of the WAB were
estimated at :
Precipitation is 889 MCM/yr � Precipitation is 889 MCM/yr
� ETc is 548 MCM/yr
� Runoff is 34 MCM/yr
� Recharge is 263 MCM/yr
�The 10-year average water budget volumes
for Tulkarem and Qalqiliya Governorates were
estimated at :
�Precipitation is 247 MCM/yr
�ETc is 137 MCM/yr
�Runoff is 10.7 MCM/yr
�Recharge is 81.4 MCM/yr
� Although the WAB’s West Bank
portion receives an average recharge
of 263 MCM/yr, the 2010 Palestinian
water extraction was limited to a
total of 30 MCM/yr (11%). While the total of 30 MCM/yr (11%). While the
rest (233 MCM/yr) of WAB’s recharge
is being fully utilized by Israel.
� The Upper Cenomanian-Turonian
Aquifer receives a 10-year (2001-2010)
average recharge of 271 MCM/yr, of
which 208 MCM/yr (77 percent) is
received within the entire West Bank
boundary.boundary.
� The Lower Cenomanian Aquifer receives
a 10-year (2001-2010) average recharge
of 79 MCM/yr, of which 55 MCM/yr (70
percent) is received within the entire
West Bank boundary.
� The 2010 water use by irrigated
agriculture in the Tulkarem and Qalqiliya
governorates is about 17 MCM/yr from
119 agricultural wells.
� There is a potential for agricultural
development in the Tulkarem and
Qalqiliya governorates because only
31,000 dunums are currently irrigated 31,000 dunums are currently irrigated
out of 233,000 dunums of cultivated.
� Assuming no Israeli restrictions on the
Palestinian water use, such expansion of
irrigated land could be achieved using
the extra 56 MCM/yr more aquifer
recharge than current water use.
� Salfit, Nablus, Ramallah, Jerusalem,
Bethlehem, and Hebron governorates
partially overlie the WAB’s aquifers
and receive a total estimated
recharge of 182 MCM/yr, while the recharge of 182 MCM/yr, while the
total water pumping from the WAB’s
aquifers in these governorates is only
3 MCM/yr for all purposes.
There is an urgent need to install at
least 20 hydrometric stations at the
stream outlets right before they cross
the West Bank/Israel border to
measure stream flow generated
Recommendations
measure stream flow generated
within the West Bank boundary along
with other meteorological data on an
hourly or daily basis. All hydrometric
stations used in this study are located
inside Israel and none are located in
the West Bank.