School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK.
Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, UK.
J Environ Manage. 2019 Mar 15;234:200-213. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2018.12.058. Epub 2019 Jan 9.
The occupied Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza Strip are currently experiencing many challenges in the provision of infrastructure services for their inhabitants. This includes an undersupply of infrastructure services across multiple sectors - an issue exacerbated by population growth, increasing urbanisation, economic growth and climate change. We address this challenge by providing a systems-based assessment of Palestine's infrastructure requirements and identifying broad strategies for how those needs might be met. This assessment involved four key components including: 1) defining and assessing the current system and planned infrastructure investments; 2) assessing potential future demand for infrastructure services; 3) identifying alternative strategies for future infrastructure provision beyond planned investments; and 4) analysing the performance of each strategy against a series of key performance indicators. Results from the assessment highlight the magnitude of the current and future need for urgent infrastructure investment in Palestine. The most immediate need is to alleviate the water crises in Gaza Strip, which will require at least twice as much water infrastructure investment over the coming decade than is currently in the pipeline, even if the goal is only to achieve the most basic World Health Organisation water availability requirements. To move beyond this protracted state of crises will then require a doubling of investments across all sectors to bring Palestine up to the standards of services already enjoyed by its neighbours. Such investments can have even greater impact on delivery of infrastructure services through the strategic use of interdependencies between infrastructure sectors, such as water re-use and energy-from-waste. In the pursuit of global sustainable development, the systems-based approach presented here provides an important first step in the assessment of infrastructure needs and opportunities for any country. It is particularly important for states like Palestine where key resources, such as water and energy, are so acutely constrained.
被占领的巴勒斯坦领土的西岸和加沙地带目前在为其居民提供基础设施服务方面面临许多挑战。这包括多个部门基础设施服务供应不足的问题——这一问题因人口增长、城市化进程加快、经济增长和气候变化而加剧。我们通过对巴勒斯坦基础设施需求进行基于系统的评估，并确定如何满足这些需求的广泛战略，来应对这一挑战。这项评估涉及四个关键组成部分，包括：1）定义和评估当前系统和计划中的基础设施投资；2）评估基础设施服务未来的潜在需求；3）确定计划投资之外未来基础设施供应的替代战略；4）根据一系列关键绩效指标分析每种战略的绩效。评估结果突出了巴勒斯坦目前和未来对紧急基础设施投资的巨大需求。最紧迫的需要是缓解加沙地带的水资源危机，即使目标只是达到世界卫生组织最基本的供水可用性要求，未来十年也需要至少两倍于目前计划中的水基础设施投资。要摆脱这种长期的危机状态，就需要在所有部门增加投资，使巴勒斯坦达到其邻国已经享有的服务标准。通过在基础设施部门之间（如废水再利用和废物能源）的相互依存关系方面进行战略性投资，可以对基础设施服务的提供产生更大的影响。在追求全球可持续发展的过程中，这里提出的基于系统的方法为评估任何国家的基础设施需求和机会提供了重要的第一步。对于像巴勒斯坦这样的关键资源（如水和能源）受到严重限制的国家来说，这一点尤其重要。
