Joint Study of Israeli-Palestinian Watersheds Recognized at Major Water Conference in Vienna
Joint Study of Israeli-Palestinian Watersheds Recognized at Major Water Conference in Vienna
April 28, 2011
Among Israelis and Palestinians concern for river pollution knows no borders.
A joint study by BGU researchers and their Palestinian counterparts recently received the first annual International Journal of River Basin Management (JRBM) award at a major conference on water in Vienna.
The study focused on two different trans-border watersheds. These include the Alexander River that flows in the Northern West Bank through Israel to the Mediterranean Sea, and the Basor street that runs from the Southern West Bank through Beer-Sheva and back into Gaza where it empties into the sea.
The group found that pollution was not only destroying the rivers and connected ecosystems, but was also seeping into groundwater and harming drinking water sources.
“We sat down and tried to look at exactly what was in the water so we could clean it up,” says BGU Prof. Alon Tal, one of the co-authors of the study. Most of the pollution is due to the lack of sewage treatment in the Palestinian areas, and the overuse of pesticides by Israeli farmers.
“Both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide came together in a spirit of cooperation to address a pressing regional environment Researchal issue,” says Professor Paul Bates, JRBM’s editor-in-chief.
“When one considers the trans-boundary nature of the problem studied by Tal and his colleagues and the highly complex local political context, it becomes clear what a singular achievement this work represents.”
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About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
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