CURFEW IN HUSAN LEAVES WADI FUQEEN WITHOUT ACCESS TO BETHLEHEM PLUS FRESHWATER SPRINGS AND 2,000 YEAR OLD IRRIGATION SYSTEM UNDER THREAT
Reageer (0)22-02-2010
Two evenings ago, villagers in Wadi Fuqeen were alarmed to hear the sounds of trouble with the Israelis in the nearby village of Husan, which lies slightly to the east. A curfew was immediately imposed upon it.
This means that the Wadi Fuqeen will be isolated for few days as well because villagers can only gain access to Bethlehem if they go through Husan. This is the reality caused by the winding path of the separation barrier and many so called 'security measures' imposed by the Israelis.
In any case, Israeli jeeps have now begun to patrol the village of Wadi Fuqeen on a regular basis. 'Flying' checkpoints have also begun to appear at the entrance to the village - both during the day and overnight.
Two weeks ago three workers from the district of Hebron were beaten by the Israeli soldiers in an area to the northeast of the village. They had been trying to sneak through into Israel in order to find work. They were later admitted to Beit Jala hospital.
The separation wall is not yet fully in place around Wadi Fuqeen. The route of the wall is subject to a legal challenge and this has somewhat delayed its building, although many of its footings are already in place. The village is therefore a favourite route for those impoverished Palestinians desperate to find illegal work in Israel. They try to slip through without being seen by the Israeli patrols.
Looking at longer term developments, Wadi Fuqeen is facing a worrying situation in relation to its water sources.
Villagers from Wadi Fuqeen practice a 2,000-year-old form of agriculture dependent upon a complex system of terracing and wells. These ancient terraces and wells are fed by rainwater and a unique local aquifer and, in the past, that has made possible the widespread irrigation of surrounding arable land.
However, over the years, these Palestinian farmers have lost much of their original lands to the Israelis. Thousands of dunams have been confiscated and the farmers now struggle to survive on a strip of arable land running along the narrow valley floor.
Due to the unique local irrigation system, vegetables grown in Wadi Fuqeen have historically reached epic proportions. Cabbages bigger than a man's head have been commonplace - although no one knows how much longer this will continue, because something is drastically affecting the water table. Local springs that held water just a couple of years ago are now dry, leaving the fields around them suddenly barren. Everyone is extremely worried.
The terracing and 11 large rectangular wells can be said to be a distinguishing feature of the village, whose name actually means 'thorny valley', although it is transliterated into English in a variety of ways, including Wadi Fukin, and Wadi Fouquin.
The wadi is a dry riverbed which contains water whenever there is a reasonable amount of rainfall. It is lined with fields of vegetables and olive groves. But, the farmers' livelihoods are now being seriously threatened by disturbances in the water system. And there is evidence to suggest that these disturbances are being caused by construction and development work in the nearby illegal Israeli settlement of Beitar Illit.
Beitar Illit occupies the hilltop directly to the south of the village. Its massive apartment blocks overshadow Wadi Fuqeen. They dominate the horizon at that end of the wadi. They may sit uncomfortably within the rural, agricultural landscape - but even more housing units are planned in future. Construction is set to continue on a grand scale.
This illegal settlement was founded in 1985 on land that had belonged to villagers for generations. It is now a booming city of more than 34,000 people. The sound of construction work echoes almost constantly across the valley. Indeed, building work for Beitar Illit is now taking place just metres away from the village school.
Dynamiting to remove limestone rocks in order to make the foundations for the new building have already caused cracks to appear in the school building.
All this construction and development prevents the rainwater from seeping into the ground and the wells are consequently beginning to dry up.
Last year, hydrologist Lior Assaf and geomorphologist Itai Haviv, who both come from the nearby Israeli town of Tzur Hadassah, published a report on the impact of regional construction on Wadi Fuqeen's freshwater springs. They concluded that the springs depend on rainwater collected in an area of just six square kilometers. (* See 'The Alternative Information Center (AIC)' story)
Future construction plans threaten to further interfere with the water table and the routes that feed the freshwater springs. There are plans for a section of the separation barrier between the village and Tzur Hadassah, and for a settler access road that would run directly through the farmland in the valley. Assaf and Haviv believe that both projects will occupy more land and further interfere with the water paths feeding the springs.
Meanwhile, Beitar Illit's sewage system continues to regularly overflow directly onto the village’s agricultural land. This happens three or four times every month now but, when villagers complain, nothing is done to stop this spillage. The sewage pollutes the crops and ruins the land for future use. In addition, building waste and loose earth is dumped down the hillside from Beitar Illit, piling up on precious arable land in the wadi.
Not surprisingly, the numbers of farmers in the village has fallen drastically over recent years. Young men do not believe farming offers them a future. Even if they succeed in producing good vegetables, fruits, almonds, dates and olives, they still face difficulties getting that produce to market. Security restrictions and the separation barrier produce problems there too. Only the older folk persist.
At this point in time, no one can say for sure how long the village of Wadi Fuqeen can survive. The village, which is situated on the Green Line 12 km from Bethlehem, still has a population of 1,200, but people make a precarious living and steady jobs are difficult to find.
The villagers need all the help they can get. So, please can everyone write to their MPs and MEPs about the situation and alert them to the problems facing villagers. Further information on the village and the situation facing it can be found at http://www.wadifuqeenfriends.com
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