A/HRC/22/63 Bank water resources, of which it withdraws 90 per cent.47 The mission learned that a large number of Palestinian projects are rejected by the Commission. In Area C, additional approval is required from the Israeli Civil Administration, even for such small-scale projects as wells or rainwater collection cisterns. 82. The ability of the Palestinian Water Authority to transfer water to areas facing water shortages is severely inhibited by territorial fragmentation, since almost every project implies movement through Area C. The mission received testimony about water resources damaged or destroyed by the construction of the wall or lost to the seam zone, cutting off villages from their wells, springs and cisterns. In the Jordan Valley, deep-water drillings by Mekorot, the Israeli national water company, and Mehadrin, an agro-industrial company, have caused Palestinian wells and springs to dry up. Eighty per cent of the total water resources drilled in the area is consumed by Israel and the settlements. 83. The lack of availability of Palestinian water resources has led to chronic shortages among Palestinian communities in Area C and a dependence on Mekorot, to which authority over the West Bank water resources was transferred from the military in 1982. 84. Mekorot supplies almost half the water consumed by Palestinian communities. The mission heard that Palestinians do not have access to Israeli recycled water available to settlements, and have to use water from the more expensive drinking water supply for irrigation purposes. In the event of a water shortage, valves supplying Palestinian communities are closed; this does not happen for settlements. 85. The mission heard of situations where villagers must travel several kilometres to retrieve water when closer water resources serve neighbouring settlements. Settlements benefit from enough water to run farms and orchards, and for swimming pools and spas, while Palestinians often struggle to satisfy their minimum water requirements. According to testimonies received, some settlements consume around 400 litres per capita per day (l/c/d),48 whereas Palestinian consumption is 73 l/c/d, and as little as 10-20 l/c/d49 for Bedouin communities, which depend on expensive and low-quality tanker water. In East Jerusalem, houses built without a permit cannot connect to the water network. 86. Water shortages are further exacerbated by restrictions on movement, the destruction of infrastructure, expropriations, forced evictions and settler violence, which also largely contributes to diminishing access to water for Palestinians. 87. Forcible takeovers and vandalism by settlers increasingly impede access to water. According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in March 2012, 30 springs in the vicinity of settlements were completely taken over by settlers and 26 were at risk, with settlers fencing them off and threatening villagers. Some of the springs seized have become ―tourist attractions‖ or recreational sites, and receive support from the Government of Israel. 88. According to testimony received, the destruction of water infrastructure, including rainwater cisterns, by Israeli authorities has increased since the beginning of 2010, doubling in 2012 the number of acts committed in 2011. The denial of water is used to trigger displacement, particularly in areas slated for settlement expansion, especially since these communities are mostly farmers and herders who depend on water for their livelihoods. A 47 48 49 18 World Bank, ―West Bank and Gaza Assessment of Restrictions on Palestinian Water Sector Development‖, April 2009, para. 130. The minimum recommended by WHO is 100 l/c/d. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ―The Humanitarian Impact of Israeli-declared ‗Firing Zones‘‖ (see footnote 39).