Modernizing an ancient oasis Jericho's Ain Al-Sultan spring projectJericho, West Bank — Jumaa Dwidar, a farmer in Jericho, plants cauliflower, eggplant, tomatoes, cabbage and some of the other fruits and vegetables for which the fertile soil of Jericho is famous. He is continuing the tradition of his ancestors, who have been cultivating land in this ancient oasis for thousands of years. Jericho, now located in West Bank territory, is said to be the oldest city in the world. For millennia it has depended for water on the springs that flow down from the hills of Jerusalem and Ramallah. But water scarcity has become a major problem throughout Israel, and Jericho is no exception. Farmers in Jericho depend on a regular flow of water to be able to cultivate their crops and sustain their livelihoods. Yet local water levels had been declining in recent years. A new irrigation system became operational in March 2006. The old system delivered an inadequate water supply and allowed considerable waste of water through seepage and evaporation. According to a survey conducted by the Palestinian Water Authority, the system was losing as much as 35 per cent of the water that flowed through it. During the summer, the flow of water decreased radically and sometimes ceased altogether. Farmers were unable to irrigate their land. Over the past ten years, the IFAD-funded Ein Al-Sultan Spring Irrigation Project has transformed the irrigation system linked with the largest of these springs, Ein Al-Sultan. The project, implemented by ANERA in cooperation with the Municipality of Jericho, set out to modernize the old irrigation system to minimize waste and provide a regular water supply to the people of Jericho and especially the poorer farmers who need it most. As Mazen Dabbagh, programme manager at ANERA explains,“Before the new system was implemented, water was distributed on a time-based system. According to their water rights, farmers would receive a flow of water from the springs for a certain amount of time. A farmer could either flush all the water he received to his land immediately, or store it in a pond. The old irrigation system consisted of open canals, which were subject to evaporation and pollution.” The old, inefficient canals have been replaced with 50 km of piping, hydrants, valves, pumps and stand-by generators, including a state-of-the-art pumping facility located at the spring’s mouth. The new pressurized system measures out water to the farmers by the cubic metre, which makes it much more efficient. Now that there is a surplus of water, the farmers can access as much as they need. The improved system is resulting in economic gains for farmers and the people of the Jericho area in general. “We will be saving 1.2 million cubic metres of water each year. Now farmers know exactly how much water they are receiving and can benefit from every drop,” says Mr. Dabbagh. The project is the first of its kind in Gaza and the West Bank, and was not without difficulties and challenges. The new system required much more than just pipes and metres. ANERA helped establish a water user’s association for the farmers. The goal of this association was to encourage farmers to organize themselves to advance common goals, such as maintaining the new system and making sure that they are charged the correct rate for water. There were also several legal questions to tackle regarding the old water rights system before the system could become fully operative. The years of work that have gone into the Ein Al-Sultan project have provided an important learning experience that could benefit others seeking to introduce, integrate and manage a new water system. Its successful implementation, with all the lessons learned along the way, will serve as a model for future modernization of water systems in the Palestinian territories. Jumaa says that the positive impact of the new system has been immense. “This system is better because we always have enough water now, and flow and pressure are kept constant. I’ve been able to increase the amount of land I cultivate, so I’m growing more crops now.” Thanks to this irrigation project, Jumaa and other farmers like him are better able to feed and provide for their families by cultivating these rich soils. Source: IFAD |
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