From Water Scarcity to Sustainable Water Use in the West Bank, Palestine

Water scarcity is increasing all over the world because of growing population and increasing demands. Countries with limited water resources are urgently in need of a new approach toward water management by shifting from the "use and dispose" approach to the "use, treat, and reuse" approach. This book proposes a framework for the sustainable management of scarce water resources. The approach is based on the application of Cleaner Production thinking to water management.
This book focuses on the West Bank in Palestine. The West Bank suffers from extreme water scarcity, has (for political reasons) less water than is naturally available, and anticipates an increase in demand for water for reasons of population and economic growth. Therefore, the West Bank needs to shift away from the present approach to water. The book proposes a set of alternatives for sustainable water management in the domestic, agricultural, and industrial sectors in the West Bank. Implementing a combination of water management alternatives as proposed in this book will put water management in the West Bank in Palestine on a sustainable track.

Introduction 2. Water footprint of the Palestinians in the West Bank 3. Financial, environmental and social evaluation of water mangement options 4. Optimizing irrigation water use 5. Saving water and reducing pollution in the unhairing-liming process in the leather industry 6. A strategy for sustainable water management in the West Bank, Palestine 7. Conclusions and recommendations.