Overview of Middle East Water Resources
Surface Water
Alexander River
The Alexander River runs for about 44 km from the
western side of the Mountain Belt across cultivated
areas and past towns of the Coastal Plain to the
Mediterranean Sea. Average rainfall over this basin
for 1949-97 is 640 mm, or 315 MCM at the gaging
station; but natural factors plus use of the water
of the Alexander River result in a median annual-flow
volume of only 5 MCM near its outlet to the Mediterranean
Sea. Industrial and domestic effluents have been
discharged to the Alexander River and introduced
considerable pollutants over the past 40 years. These
have degraded the water quality and the ecosystem.
However, improvements are underway with a comprehensive
rehabilitation program that was begun in
1995. These efforts include preservation of breeding
sites along the river for the rare Nile soft-shell turtle.
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Alexander River near Elyashiv
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Flow characteristics of the Alexander River have
been measured since 1939 at Elyashiv, near the
river's outlet, where the drainage area is 492 km2.
At this location, the stream typically flows only
during December through March. Flows have never
been observed from July through September, as
shown in the graph of monthly flow volumes to the
right. There have been 4 years since 1939 when zero
flow was observed for the entire year. The largest
flood observed on the Alexander River occurred on
January 30, 1958, and had a peak discharge of
260 m3/s. Several large storms during 1992 led to
an annual-flow volume that year more than double
that of any other year since 1939.
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Hydrographs. Left: Median annual volume by watershed. Right: Annual volume, 1939-96.
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Water Data Banks Project,
Multilateral Working Group on Water Resources,
Middle East Peace Process
Overview of Middle East Water Resources
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