UNU-INWEH: Water-Health Course
Case study: REFUGEE CAMPS
SUMMARY
Refugees form one of the most vulnerable groups of people in space and time, found in all
corners of the world. Having migrated away from their home country because of real or
perceived fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, or political opinion,
refugees leave everything they own to find sanctuary in other countries or anywhere that is
isolated from the issues they are fleeing from. Camps with large numbers of refugees end up on
impossibly hostile sites in host countries. Water is one of the basic needs for the survival of
refugees, yet its scarcity in refugee camps is usually one of the greatest challenges for the host
nations, with provision of safe water often a last consideration. Lack of safe water in camps is a
contributing factor to poor health indices such as malnutrition rates and diarrhea.
(http://www.unhcr.org/3b582bc08.html).
The Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan illustrates that water can never be taken for granted, and
that a major problem in camps all over the world is water – or rather the lack of it.
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND
At the end of 2005, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which is
mandated by the international community to assist and protect the world’s refugees, counted 20.8
million people of concern consisting of refugees (40%), internally displaced persons assisted by
UNHCR (32%), stateless persons (11%), with the remainder made up of asylum seekers,
returned refugees and others of concern (UNHCR 2006). These figures exclude refugees under
the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East (UNRWA). The UNHCR mandate consists of assuring the refugees their human and
protection rights, access to survival needs, physical protection and also their health, well-being
and dignity (A. A. Cronin et al., 2007).
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The unfathomable number of refugees in camps, and the location of these camps makes reaching
the needs of the refugees a difficult and near impossible task, and the growing numbers in some
camps does not help the situation. Water, so much more than other needed resources, can be a
tricky resource to get to the large numbers in refugee camps. Where possible, wells can be dug
to supply water to the refugees, but in instances where the camp is located in an arid area, the
problem becomes compounded.
An example of the kind of hostile environment that refugees find themselves in is the Hartisheik
camp in Eastern Ethiopia which although now closed, was once the world's largest refugee camp,
hosting a quarter million Somalis. The Eastern part of Ethiopia is a harsh environment with
porous soil that sucks up all the rain water and, as the sun bakes the earth, it is left cracked.
UNHCR mobilized emergency assistance in this remote region, setting up camps, digging wells
and offering medical services. Initially test wells were dug around Hartisheik, but, half a
kilometer down and hundreds of thousands of dollars later, the pipes came up dry. Finally,
UNHCR located a new water source in a test well 240 meters beneath the Jerrer valley – 40 kms
from Hartisheik (http://www.unhcr.org/3b582bc08.html). Getting water to refugee camps can be
an expensive and time consuming venture but is a necessary and mandatory task, for the survival
to those fleeing from conflict.
JORDAN AS A HOST NATION FOR REFUGEES
Jordan, despite having few natural resources, has been a host country for a large number of
refugees in the past decades. As a result, Jordan has opened large refugee camps, and has tens of
thousands of refugees living in urban settings instead of the camps, all who need support from
the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners as the costs of food and shelter
continue to rise (http://refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/middle-east/jordan). Water
shortages have spiked in northern Jordan, which hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees,
(https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/jordan/water-scarcity-and-syrian-refugee-crisis).
According to Jordan’s National Water Strategy, it is one of the four driest countries in the world
(UNESCO, 2013). Water supply does not meet the water demand for any sector, as the country’s
water withdrawal rates are about 20% above the sustainable capacity level. It is predicted that in
the coming years, Jordan will experience a high population growth rate challenging its capacity
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to support its population with freshwater by 2030 (Zeitoun et al., 2011). Population growth and
declining freshwater availability has resulted in a decrease of per capita renewable water
resources to 145 m3 /capita/year in 2013 (Altz-Stamm, 2012).
ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, JORDAN.
The Zaatari refugee camp is located in northern Jordan and is gradually evolving into a
permanent settlement (Kimmelman, 2014)(Fig 1a,b,c). It was first opened on July 28, 2012 to
host Syrians fleeing the violence in the ongoing Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011. Zaatari
refugee camp today is dry and dusty, with soaring temperatures, as Jordan has one of the lowest
levels of water resource availability, per capita, in the world.
(http://www.who.int/heli/pilots/jordan/en/). Jordan has a history of being the “safe haven” for
refugees fleeing from humanitarian and political crises in neighboring countries. During the
unraveling of the Arab Spring in the Middle East, the Syrian political crisis led to a humanitarian
crisis which is currently ongoing. Since 2011, Jordan has absorbed at least 600,000 Syrian
refugees. While two-thirds of the Syrians live integrated within cities of Jordan, the Zaatari
Refugee Camp has become the largest refugee camp in the world, and becoming Jordan’s fifth
largest city (UNHCR, 2013). As of May 2014, the Zaatari camp hosts 101,402 individuals
(UNHCR, 2014). The Jordanian government has yet to announce its capacity for refugees, and is
providing them with free healthcare and education.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371311/Syrian-Zaatari-refugee-camp-home-160-000Jordans-fifth-largest-city.html
Water scarcity is the gravest environmental challenge that Jordan faces today, making it a key
planning issue for the Jordanian government. Thus the location of Zaatari in Jordan, a country
already battling water scarcity, has created a situation which is dire, with refugees relying on aid
Organizations to provide them with clean water to drink and wash.
(http://www.dec.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/Appeals/Syria%20Crisis/FOR-WEB---Watertruck-supplying-clean-water-in-Zaatari-camp---CREDIT-Caroline-Gluck---Oxfam.jpg) (Fig 2).
Oxfam Experience: (http://policy-practice.oxfam.org.uk/blog/2014/08/getting-water-to-zaatariduring-drought-season):
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“In response to water shortages in the camp, Andy Boscoe, Oxfam's Zaatari Programme
Manager, said, "As Zaatari camp enters its second year of operation, underground
aquifers are depleting fast. The settlement of thousands of Syrian refugees in a waterscarce region is putting huge pressure on available water resources. These difficulties
affect the most vulnerable residents of the camp who are suffering unfairly. "Given that
water resources are limited and need to be rationed, there is desperate need for improved
governance, which will result in a fairer distribution of water, and for funding to build a
piped water network thereby reducing wastage during water trucking and providing a
more consistent supply." Operating in three of the camp's eight districts, with a total of
nearly 25,000 individuals, Oxfam provides water tanks and manages the water supply
network, while the Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED)
provides water trucks which deliver water to camp districts between 1 and 3 times per
day. Oxfam and its partners are laying out plans to create a piped water network in the
coming months that will provide Zaatari residents with a more sustainable water source.
While the network will not increase the quantity of water supply, it will improve
reliability.”
"We have had to learn to make do with less and it has been difficult to adjust." Ahmed,
60 years old
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP
Water use by the refugee camp has been shown to have a significant negative impact on baseline
environmental conditions due to the existing water shortage in the region and the increase of
non-revenue losses. Non-revenue losses resulted from transporting water via trucks and leakages
from poor water infrastructure. The aquifer near the Zaatari camp has been of concern to the
Government of Jordan but the EIA concluded that the risk of contamination of the groundwater
supply is small. In contrast, the EIA concluded that the waste water management and solid waste
management at the camp site have had a significant negative impact on baseline conditions.
Appropriately managing waste water and solid waste is integral to protecting the water quality of
the aquifer. Therefore, there is a high amount of responsibility for UNHCR to handle the waste
water and solid waste effectively.
The EIA concluded that the establishment of the camp had an overall significant negative impact
on the change of the environment when compared to conditions prior to the Syrian refugee influx
in Jordan. The assessment of baseline water and hydrological conditions explain that there is
significant over pumping of the deep wells in the Zaatari site area. Interviews with Dr. AlRaggad and Ghassan Hazboun of Mercy Corps supported this claim, and concluded that the
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water table decreased by 1.5 meters to 2 meters in the last year and a half, and there is no more
continuous recharge. Also, the lack of a sewage system at the camp site has induced the
vulnerability of the aquifer. Furthermore, non-revenue losses result from damaged water tanks.
Approximately 40% of the water storage tanks are leaking and about 60% of the waste water
transported out of the camp is also leaking, which contributes to the non-revenue losses. The
most significant effect on water use was determined to be the size of the refugee population.
CONCLUSION
In cases like the Zaatari camp, where water is not readily available, it is a costly and even time
consuming task getting water to the people at the camp, and maintaining infrastructure that
delivers this basic need. The worry for environmental degradation and pollution are also real
which could lead to deteriorating living conditions for the refugees. The likelihood that the cause
for their flee will end so that they may return to their places of origin would be a risky gamble,
hence measures must be taken to ensure that the refugees can live a sustainable life.
The recommendations focus on macro level solutions for the national governance of water
resources and institutional design of integral decision makers in the refugee planning field. They
also address the micro management of water resources at the camp level and community level
(Aleena, 2014).
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Reference List
1. Aleena, F. (2014). The impact of syrian refugees on jordan’s water resources and water
management planning. Master’s Thesis. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY
2. Altz-Stamm, 2012. www.caee.utexas.edu/prof/maidment/giswr2012/.../Altz-Stamm.pdf
3. A. A. Cronin, D. Shrestha, N. Cornier, F. Abdalla, N. Ezard and C. Aramburu (2008). A
review of water and sanitation provision in refugee camps in association with selected
health and nutrition indicators – the need for integrated service provision.
4. http://www.unhcr.org/40e426de4.html. Refugee Magazine. (1996). Issue 105 (Life in a
refugee camp) - Water: Nary a drop to drink.
5. (https://www.mercycorps.org/articles/jordan/water-scarcity-and-syrian-refugee-crisis)
6. Jordan. http://refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/middle-east/jordan
7. Kimmelman Michael. Refugee Camp for Syrians in Jordan Evolves as a Do-It-Yourself
City" . The New York Times July 4, 2014
8. UNHCR 2006. 2005 Global Refugee Trends, Statistical Overview of Populations of
Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons, Stateless Persons, and Other
Persons of Concern to UNHCR. UNHCR, Geneva, Switzerland.
9. W.H.O. Jordan: Water is life. http://www.who.int/heli/pilots/jordan/en/
10. UNESCO 2013. Promoting water education in the fourth most water scarce country in
the world. (http:www.unesco.org/new/en/amman/naturalsciences/news/promoting_wate_reducation_in_the_fourth_most_water_scarce_country_i
_the_world/)
11. Zeitoun M, Allan T, Al Aulaqi N, et al. Water demand management in Yemen and
Jordan: addressing power and interests.[Historical Article, Journal Article]. Geogr J
2012; 178(1):54-66.
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IMAGES
Fig. 1a. Zaatari Refugee Camp (https://completeword.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/campmap.jpg)
Fig 1b. Zaatari Refugee Camp
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/medi
a/images/66236000/jpg/_66236
417_sellingclothes_reu.jpg)
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Fig 1c. Zaatari Refugee Camp (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2371311/SyrianZaatari-refugee-camp-home-160-000-Jordans-fifth-largest-city.html)
Fig 2. Accessing water in the Zaatari Refugee Camp
(http://www.dec.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/Appeals/Syria%20Crisis/FOR-WEB---Watertruck-supplying-clean-water-in-Zaatari-camp---CREDIT-Caroline-Gluck---Oxfam.jpg).
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