Institute of Hydrology, FreiburgThe impact of urbanisation on integrated catchment hydrology and water resources, West Bank and Israel
a trilateral research project funded by the German Science Foundation (DFG)

 

Background

Objectives

Urban Monitoring
Network

Spring Monitoring

In-Storm
Field Observations

Sprinkling
Experiments

Large Scale
Rainfall-Runoff Modelling

Database

Project Members

 

Pronounced urban development in the Palestinian city of Ramallah on top of the karstic Mountain aquifer (a jointly, Israeli-Palestinian, used fresh water resource) is bound to

  • increase surface flow at the expense of groundwater recharge
  • deteriorate surface water quality
  • affect groundwater quality by direct pollutant release into the ground (leaky pipes, cesspits) or
    to surface drainage systems from which contaminated runoff may eventually percolate.

While the hydrological impacts of urban development are relatively well understood in Western Europe and North America, very little is known about these impacts in the completely different environments of Middle Eastern towns located on dry karstic terrain.

Urban development in Ramallah