Mennonite
Central
Committee

Water reservoirs benefit farmers in Jordan Valley

Tim Seidel
March 27, 2006

The completion of four cement water reservoirs in late 2005 is helping transform arid farmland into fields of green in the northern Jordan Valley.

Reservoirs

MCC, the Catholic Relief Services and the Palestinian Hydrology Group together built the pools in the small West Bank village of Bardalah, a Palestinian village of 2,700 people. Most of the villagers rely on the land for their livelihood, but growing fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, cauliflower, and squash can be challenging in the climate of the Jordan Valley.

These 150 cubic metre pools will collect rainwater in the winter season and store water in the summer, supplying water to 60 dunams (15 acres) of farmland, and benefiting 90 farmers. In addition to the pools, 500 meters of new irrigation pipes were installed.

Water shortage causes

Engineers working with the Palestinian Hydrology Group state climate is not the only cause of water shortages. The limited amount of available groundwater and spring water has been exacerbated by prohibitions on well drilling for Palestinian farmers, forcing villagers to buy water from Israeli water companies. These constraints make it very difficult for farmers to irrigate their fields. The new water reservoirs mean farmers won't need to buy as much water from Israel for irrigation purposes.

MCC has a long history of working with the villagers of Bardalah. This village was one of the first to benefit from an MCC rural development program that focused on protecting Palestinian land and water rights through strengthening the agricultural sector. Between 1976 and 1988, MCC introduced drip irrigation methods, provided materials at a cheaper cost, trained farmers, and distributed the necessary tools so that farmers could be self-sufficient in the assembly and repair of pipes.

Preventing land expropriation

In Alain Epp Weaver and Sonia K. Weaver's history of MCC in Palestine, Salt & Sign, Mennonite Central Committee in Palestine, 1949-1999, MCC worker Ibrahim Matar says these efforts not only addressed water shortage issues, it also prevented the land from expropriation: He states: "The Israeli settlement of Meholah, for example, had made moves on the lands of Bardalah village. With the support of MCC, Bardalah villagers were able to surround the settlement with fields supplied by drip irrigation systems, stymieing land confiscation."

The village of Bardalah is situated on 400 dunams (100 acres) of land. The village has a school and medical clinic.

 

Tim Seidel is an MCC Peace Development Worker in Palestine.