As the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis advances, and agreements are signed, several changes have taken place. The Israeli military forces have pulled out fully from the major cities in the West Bank, including Ramallah and Al-Bireh cities and since then, January 1996, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) has governed these areas. After 28 years of Israeli occupation, there are many challenges facing the new authority in all areas of society. During the Israeli occupation, much of the infrastructure of the West Bank was left unattended, development that did take place did not keep up with the rate of population growth. Now, the PNA is working to rehabilitate the Palestinian infrastructure. Several infrastructure projects have been initiated and many more are likely to be initiated in the near future. These projects, coupled with the expected increase in economic activity and population pressure are likely to lead to widespread environmental pressures all over the West Bank. In the building of a Palestinian government and administrative structures, legislation and regulations must be adopted to provide guidelines for development and to authorize power for enforcing these requirements.
Due to the fragility of the West Bank's ecosystem, it is necessary to prepare a framework for assessing and directing development in a sustainable manner. Unless precautionary steps are taken, an unsustainable development pattern may emerge. Environmental profiles are greatly important at this stage, for assessing the status of the environment and providing a background for a program to promote sustainable development.
The Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem launched a two year project supported and financed by the Federal Government of Austria, Department for Development and Cooperation, through the Society of Austro-Arab Relations in Jerusalem (SAAR). The aim of the project is to build an environmental database and produce a series of environmental profiles for each district in the West Bank. The following environmental profile is the fourth in the series. It describes the present status of the environment in the Ramallah District, and focuses on recommendations for environmental management programs required for the future. This profile addresses issues related to the major components of the environment in the district. It includes information supported with maps concerning the topography, climate, soil, geology, land use, water resources, agriculture, wastewater, solid waste collection and disposal, pesticide usage and air and noise pollution. In addition, it covers the socio-economic situation and the existing historical and archeological sites existing in the Ramallah District. Flora and fauna will be included in the comprehensive Environmental Profile of the West Bank.
Most of the information and data used in this profile are based on the primary field investigations and personal interviews conducted by the project team. All maps included are produced by the GIS unit at ARIJ using ARC/Info and PAMAP software.
