Title: Evaluation of water harvesting and managed aquifer recharge potential in Upper Fara' basin in Palestine: comparing MYWAS and water productivity approaches

Authors: Bernardien Tiehatten; Karen Assaf; Marwan Ghanem; Anan Jayyousi; Amer Marei; Erik Mostert; Sameer Shadeed; Gerrit Schoups; Ebel Smidt; Omar Zayed

Addresses: Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, Netherlands ' ASIR – Arab Scientific Institute for Research and Transfer of Technology, P.O. Box 3681, El-Bireh, West Bank, Palestine ' Birzeit University, P.O. Box 14, Birzeit, West Bank, Palestine ' An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Nablus, West Bank, Palestine ' Al Quds University, P.O. Box 89, Abu-Dis, West Bank, Palestine ' Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, Netherlands ' An-Najah National University, P.O. Box 7, Nablus, Nablus, West Bank, Palestine ' Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, 2628 CN, Delft, Netherlands ' SG Consultancy and Mediation, Kraanvogellaan 68, 5221 GB, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands ' Palestinian Water Authority, Al Ersal-Almasayef-Kamal Naser Str. Ramalla, West Bank, Palestine

Abstract: The Upper Wadi Fara' basin, located at the West Bank, Palestine, has an average annual rainfall of 500 mm, which occurs only during winter. Agriculture uses stored soil water and complimentary irrigation from groundwater. Water harvesting (WH) and managed aquifer recharge (MAR) therefore is essential for sustainable water resources management in the basin. This study focuses on the comparison between two methods to determine best practices for WH/MAR. The first method uses the change in water productivity and can be considered a one parameter cost benefit analysis (CBA). The other method concerns the multi year water allocation system (MYWAS), which uses water demand curves to evaluate economic scenarios. It is concluded that the highest cost effectiveness of WH/MAR measures in upper Wadi Fara' basin is reached when water is stored as soil water. However, this is a politically disputed measure in the Israel-Palestine shared aquifer. Both models are useful tools in decisive stakeholder participation processes.

Keywords: West Bank; Palestine; water harvesting; managed aquifer recharge; MAR; water basin planning; water management; multi year water allocation system; MYWAS; water productivity; Israel; stakeholder participation; shared aquifers; stored soil water; groundwater irrigation; sustainable water resources; water resources management; cost benefit analysis; CBA.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2017.083432

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2017 Vol.16 No.1/2/3, pp.29 - 44

Received: 06 Aug 2016
Accepted: 03 Sep 2016

Published online: 29 Mar 2017 *

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