Centralized versus Decentralized Wastewater Systems—Potential of Water Reuse within a Transboundary Context

Abstract

Water management in transboundary situations is a multidisciplinary subject. The main objective of this article is to provide a reflection on the impact of centralized versus decentralized wastewater systems, regarding the potential of water reuse within a transboundary context. The Occupied Palestinian Territories are the presented scenario. The existent wastewater treatment plants are not enough to guarantee good environmental and public health conditions and there are serious operational and maintenance problems. Due to the geopolitical situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, decentralized systems have been extensively used throughout the whole West Bank but most of the systems are not functioning correctly. Two case studies are analyzed: Ras ‘Atiya is an example of a possible transboundary wastewater management system where the wastewater treatment is proposed to be at an Israeli wastewater treatment plant and Atouf is based on a decentralized on‐site system at household level. In transboundary situations water reuse becomes a sensitive issue. Whenever there is centralized transboundary wastewater treatment, there is a risk that one of the parties involved may lose rights of its treated water.