Data Collection Questionnaire

MEDA DATABASE ON TRANSBOUNBDARY AQUIFERS Version 2.1.1  3/09/07 (ESCWA-UNESCO-UNECA-UNECE) QUESTIONNAIRE ON TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS IN THE MEDA REGION

Please complete using Word document format.

Please complete a separate questionnaire for each aquifer

Please return by e-mail to: al-mooji@un.org and R.Stephan@unesco.org with copies to: iganouli@civil.auth.gr and a.aureli@unesco.org, by 31st August 2007.

1.         NAME OF THE TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFER, LOCATION & COUNTRIES

Please give the name(s) or other identification property of the shared aquifer, its approximate location (province, department) and say which countries share it.

The Northeastern Aquifer, shared between Palestine and Israel

2.         AQUIFER CHARACTERISTICS

2. 1      Please look at the four simplified pictures below and indicate which of them most closely characterises your transboundary aquifer. If none, please provide a conceptual sketch of your transboundary aquifer in the blank box below.

Please tick: Example 1  2  3  4  5

West Bank

Israel

North West Bank Cross Section

General Characteristics

Aquifer hydrogeological type porous   karstic     fissured rock

other Predominant lithology Limestone

Stratigraphic age Cretaceos-Teritiary and Quaternary

Areal extent (km²)1234 (1027 km2 inside the West Bank) and 207 km2... inside Israel..

Population resident in this area and main occupation……~ 560,000… Thickness: mean (m)....1500.........  maximum (m) 2000

Shared international boundary length (km)…50 Km………………………… Dominant groundwater flow direction: from.. ....Palestine.  to ..........Israel..................... (countries)

Link with surface water systems:

Strong            medium         weak

2.3 Map

Please provide a clear map of the transboundary aquifer, including aquifer boundaries and geographical coordinates. The map should preferably be supplied as a GIS-file

2.4 Hydrogeological Characteristics and Groundwater Use

Rainfall: average annual and seasonal distribution ………average annual rainfall is  500  mm, min 350 mm, Max 1000m………………………

Recharge / discharge area…

The aquifer outcrops areas had to be divided into three different rainfall zones.

The aforementioned total recharge zone in the Northeatern basin (1062 km2) thus is divided into a zone with low rainfall (52 km2), a large zone with medium rainfall amounts (907 km2) and a small wet zone In the mountains (103 km2).

The rain amonts that precipitate over the aquifer outcrops have to be separated to rainfall that occurs in the west Bank gives the following results:

Out of a total recharge sum of 164 MCM/a, 134 MCM/a take place within the West Bank and only 29 MCM/a of recharge are generated within Israel. This equals a ration of 82% recharge takig place in the Palestinian lands and only 18% of  it coming from Israel itself

	1			2			3			4
	Basin Area km2			Outcrop area by rain zone and total C-T+Eocene+Alluvial (Km^2)			Rain on Aquifer Outcrop (MCM/a)			Recharge by rain zone (MCM/a)
	Isr	Pal	Sum	Israel	Pal	Sum	Israel	Pal	Sum	Isr	Pal	Sum
Wet				0	102.54	102.54				0	24	24
Medium				201.05	706.37	907.42				29	109	138
Dry				0	52.35	52.35				0	2	2
Sum	207	1027	1234	201.05	861.26	1062.31	98	437	535	29	135	164
%	17%	83%		19%	81%		18%	82%		18	82

Level changes (m/yr) – natural, induced by pumping, or other reasons Natural: 3m/yr by pumping 10m/yr

Total available non- renewable groundwater reserves (Mm³/yr): …N/A…………………

Total available annually renewable groundwater resources (Mm³/yr): ……164 Mcm/yr……………

Total groundwater abstractions (Mm³/yr) (estimated where not measured) ……80…………………

Flow in/out across national boundary (Mm³/yr)…… ……130…………………….

Groundwater flow direction and gradient across boundary…North and Northeast

 Water uses (total, by sector, principal uses, current - estimated and future -projected)…

Total:

Uses	Palestine	Israel
Agriculture	23	10
Domestic	10	134

Principal use:agricultural and demostic

	Palestine	Israel
Current use (Mcm/yr)	33	144
Projected use (Mcm/yr)	100	77

Deficits and other resource concerns (e.g. quality, extremes, environmental degradation, interactions withsurface water bodies / other aquifers)

Deficits and Concerns

1. Over pumping and mismanagement of aquifer by Israelis

2. Sewage pollution of dumping untreated sewage in wadies over the outcrops of the aquifer.

3. Salinity problems in some locations

4. Industrial waste by Israeli industrial zones on the outcrops of the aquifer.

3. MONITORING DATA

Please note that stakeholders should comply with the WMO Resolution 25 on international exchange of hydrological and related data. (http://www.wmo.ch/index-en.html).  If appropriate insert Excel tables into the Word document in order to provide information and available data on quantity, quality and accessibility, including:

· Observation networks

· Maps, with available scales, GIS and remote sensing imagery    see report:” Steady State and Transient Flow Model of the Northeastern Aquifer basin

· Type of data and monitoring equipment

· Data archives and their adequacy

· Institutions in charge

· Research centres

3.1 Quantity

· N^o. of monitoring stations

· Frequency of measurements ……………………………….see report

· Water levels

· Additional information

3.2 Quality

· N^o. of monitoring sites

· Frequency of measurements                             see report

· Nitrogen compounds

· Salinity and major ions

· Heavy metals

· Pesticides

· Industrial organic compounds

4. IMPORTANCE OF TRANSBOUNDARY GROUNDWATERS Uses and Functions

Does the groundwater in this transboundary aquifer have direct uses and/or other functions?

No		Why not?	Irrelevant groundwater resource
or:			Problems with groundwater (if yes, indicate these in section 5)
Yes	Uses	Shared Aquifer Groundwater as 73% of total water use in the area  Total Shared Groundwater as % of total water use  Total Groundwater as % of total water use
…
		Other functions		Support of  ecosystems  Support of agriculture    (directly from shallow water table) Preventing land subsidence    Maintaining baseflow and springs Seasonal heatstorage    Any other function    (please specify)

Groundwater abstraction and use in the aquifer

Indicate in the table the percentage of total groundwater abstraction accounted for by each

use

Type of use	Percentage	If you do not know the exact percentage, than mark one of the following options
		< 25 %	25 – 50 %	50 – 75 %	> 75 %
Drinking water	30		*
Irrigation	70			*
Industry	0
Mining	0
Thermal spa	0
Livestock	negligible
Other (please specify)

Please indicate the year to which these figures apply...Average 80-98............

5. WHICH PROBLEMS ARE OBSERVED IN TRANSBOUNDARY GROUNDWATERS?

5.1	Problems related to groundwater quantity
a)	Specify if possible the average trend of groundwater level decline.. 3 m/year
b)	Indicate in the table the type and scale of problem associated with groundwater abstraction
	from the aquifer

Problem	Increasing scale of problem
	1. Local and moderate	2. Local but severe	3. Widespread but moderate	4. Widespread and severe
Increased pumping lifts or costs	*
Reduction of borehole yields		*
Reduced baseflow and springflow				*
Degradation of ecosystems	*			*
Sea water intrusion	*	*
Salt water upconing/downconing	*
Polluted water drawn into aquifer		*
Land subsidence	*
Other (please specify)

5.2 Problems related to groundwater quality

Indicate in the table the type, nature and scale of groundwater quality problems in the aquifer

Problem	Nature of problem		Typical range of concentrations Mg/l	Scale, using classes 1-4 from table above
	Natural origins	From human activities
Salinisation	*	*	500-700	1-2
Nitrogen species
Pesticides
Heavy metals
Pathogens
Industrial organic compounds
Hydrocarbons
Other (please specify)

5.3 Evidence for transboundary effects

a) Do you observe any decline of groundwater levels (or piezometric levels) caused or probably

caused by activities in neighbouring countries?    Yes

No

b) Do you observe any groundwater pollution caused or probably caused by activities in neighbouring countries? Yes   No

6. TRANSBOUNDARY MANAGEMENT MEASURES

Indicate in the table which measures are presently being implemented or need to be applied

Management Measures	Already used and effective	Used, but Need to be improved	Need to be applied	Currently planned
Transboundary institutions (commissions, agreements, treaties, etc.)			*
Groundwater abstraction management by regulation (licensing, taxation)			*
Groundwater abstraction management by incentives or disincentives (subsidies, credits, energy prices, energy supply, etc.)			*
Increasing efficiency of groundwater use			*
Monitoring of groundwater quantity			*
Monitoring of groundwater quality			*
Public awareness campaigns			*
Protection zones for public supplies			*
Vulnerability mapping for land use planning			*
Good agricultural practices			*
Groundwater integrated into river basin management			*
Wastewater reuse or artificial recharge			*
Treatment of  urban wastewater			*
Treatment of industrial effluents			*
Exchange of data between countries			*
Other (please specify)			*
			*
			*
			*

7. POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE PROPERTIES

Do you know of any cooperation between riparian states on transbounday aquifers? Is there any agreement regarding a transboundary aquifer in your region?  NO

8. NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS OF PERSON(S) COMPLETING THIS FORM:

Name……Amjad Aliewi & Jumana Abu Sada………………………………………

Institution……House of Water and Environment……(HWE)………………………………………… Address…41 Khaled Ibn El Walid Street

Al Sharafeh – Al Bireh

Ramallah-Palestine

P.O Box 1796

Tel: +972 0r (+970) 2 240 1776, Fax: +972 0r (+970) 2 240 68 48

E-mail: Amjad.aliewi@hwe.org.ps, jumana.abusada@hwe.org.ps