Over the past few years, the Track II Environmental Cooperation Forum, a partnership between the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies based in Israel, and the Palestinian NGO Damour for Community Development, has been working diligently and quietly, to ensure high quality agricultural water reaches Palestinian farmers in the Jericho region while also protecting natural resources from extensive pollution.

For decades the wastewater treatment plant in Al-Bireh has poured 7,000-8,000 CM daily of high-quality treated water into a nearby wadi where it is mixing with raw sewage from other sources and polluting the groundwater. For years the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) and the Israeli Civil Administration (COGAT) disagreed over the route of the pipeline through area C of the West Bank. The Track II Environmental Cooperation Forum offered to facilitate the process of reaching an agreement.

After four years the Track II Environmental Cooperation Forum successfully mediated an agreement between the PWA and COGAT. In July 2022 COGAT issued a building permit to the PWA to build the 30-kilometer trunkline that will carry between 2.5-3.5 MCM of much needed high quality agricultural water to farmers in the Jordan Valley.

It is now time for the international community to act and implement the construction of this trunkline. For information on how to support the work of the Center for Applied Environmental Diplomacy, please contact Dr. David Lehrer, Director of the Center.