Part 1: Overview and analysis of key issues
© GREG MARINOVICH, AP PHOTO
Case study 4: Gender dynamics in water management in the West Bank
In the West Bank, women are key repositories of information on water quality and use. Leveraging their unique knowledge and skills could help improve water management systems Water availability, in addition to a host of other political factors, is a key issue in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.71 The tensions surrounding water issues are further heightened by a confluence of variables including limited and erratic rainfall, extended dry spells, and Israeli controls and closures that prevent the flow of goods and services and limit Palestinians’ access to water resources.72 Currently, some 200,000 rural people in the West Bank have no connection to the water network and instead rely on tanked water, which can cost up to 400 per cent more per liter.73 In particular, Palestinian access to water springs in the West Bank has become increasingly difficult due to Israeli settlements in the area.74 These challenges have been further exacerbated by suppressed economic activity resulting from restricted mobility of goods and limited access to natural resources.75 For example, many villages are hindered in their ability to cultivate land for agriculture in the valley or to develop infrastructure due to restricted access to water.76 As the primary managers of domestic water needs, women draw on their knowledge of local water sources to employ effective conservation measures, particularly in times of drought and scarcity. This may entail recycling water or using grey water for washing and irrigation, and using run-off from those activities for livestock. Women also tend to monitor water quality, sterilizing or disinfecting well water in an effort to mitigate potential health impacts for themselves and their families.77 As such, women are key repositories of information, whose unique knowledge and skills could help improve water management systems. At present, however, formal water management in Palestine remains highly gendered. At the government level, such as in the Palestinian Water Authority, women are generally not promoted into decision-making positions, which require negotiating and dealing with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and soldiers that guard water infrastructure resources. Aspects of water management where women would be highly effective, such as reflecting daily usage needs into water management, have also not been sufficiently explored.78 Rather, the incorporation of gender perspectives into planning, design and implementation of irrigation programmes continues to be overlooked in spite of data showing that irrigation schemes have routinely failed as a result of erroneous assumptions over division of labor and water use. This represents a missed opportunity not only to support women, but also to improve water quality and access in a context where the need is high. As donors continue to fund large-scale infrastructure projects, further efforts are needed to shift the focus to more locally appropriate water infrastructure that reflects women’s particular knowledge and needs.
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