ENV34-1 CSCE 2014 13 th International Environmental Specialty Conference - 13e Conférence internationale spécialisée sur l’environnement 2014 de la SCGC Halifax, NS May 28 to 31, 2014 / 28 au 31 mai 2014 Water Supply System Simulation and Water Resource Management for the Gaza Strip Moein Shahwan 1,2 , Magdy Mowafy 1 , Bing Chen 2,* and Yinchen Ma 2 1. Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Zagazig University, Egypt; 2. Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, A1B 3X5, Canada *Corresponding author’s email: bchen@mun.ca Abstract: In the Gaza Strip, groundwater is the main water sources for domestic, industrial and agricultural use, supplemented by water imported from Israel and some storm water collection. At present, there are serious health issues in this region due to the water shortage and contamination. These issues could be more serious as the population grows, unless the water supplies are increased and the water quality is improved. The accelerating growth of water consumption and the deterioration of water quality along with infrastructure expansion intensify the conflicts between water demand and supply. In this study, the Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) was applied to simulate the water supply systems of the five governorates in the Gaza Strip and to further support the management of available water resources under different development scenarios till 2050. The results showed that the annual unmet demand would be increasing and reach 856 Million Cubic Meter (MCM) by the year 2050. Without sufficient efforts in supplying additional water resources such as imported sources and/or seawater desalination, the water deficit would be a significant challenge to the local authorities and communities along with negative effects on community health and economic growth. Thus, to keep such deficiet to the minimum, a scenario analysis based approach was adopted in the application of WEAP. The scenarios or propostions are identified considering the nature of existing water supply and management transactions. Not only that alternatives based on observed overall trends are resolvable but certain competing parameters from jurisdiction to jusrisdiction could also be identified. Such analysis can clearly help develop policy frameworks to enhance infrastructure and public health. Keywords: Gaza Strip, Water Resource Management, Water Supply, Sustainability, Utility 1. Introduction The Gaza Strip consists of five governorates. Water requirement for domestic, agricultural and industrial activities in this region is currently met from extracted groundwater and water imported from Israel. Other sources include harvesting of rainwater and sea water desalination. Water supply and distribution system in the Gaza Strip is operated by around twenty five municipalities and United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) comprising of only legitimate wells and pumping stations within their jurisdictions. Coordination and monitoring is provided by Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU). The Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) negotiates with Makorot, the Israeli water company, on water supply from Israel. The PWA also manages a trunk carrier line from north to south. However, the quality and quantity of the water supply available in the Gaza Strip are inadequate. This presents considerable challenges for water management. Appropriate decision tools, i.e. decision support tools (DST), are needed on the management of the current systems and future options, from which engineers can benefit at all levels in water supply and control agencies. The Water Evaluation and Planning System (WEAP) is one of such tools.