Legal issues in water resources allocation, wastewater use and water supply managementreport of the second consultation of the FAO/WHO Working Group on Legal Aspects of Water Resources, Water Supply and Wastewater Management (Geneva, 10-12 September 1991)

The FAO/WHO Working Group on Legal Aspects of Water Resource, Water Supply and Wastewater Management, whose primary goal is to remove constraints, had as objectives for its second consultation the formulation of an action plan, identification of possible sources and methods of technical and financial cooperation, and the identification of areas for further research. The Working Group consists of three committees working with the following issues: reallocation of water resources, the legal regimes for wastewater use, and the institutional issues in water supply and wastewater management. Each committee is responsible for several projects, each of which are described in the report, along with the accompanying activities, inputs and outputs. A case study from Israel is included in the report, which outlines the Israeli approach that has been used to solve water resources conflicts in Palestine and Jordan. Many of the claims, counter claims, fears and concerns expressed in the case study are applicable to water stress situations in other arid lands, such as groundwater rights and excess pumping, hydroelectric and irrigation projects, and population growth, which also creates a higher demand.