Promoting Conscious Water Use in the Community

In Palestine, every drop counts. Communities face chronic water scarcity, restricted access to their own water resources, ageing infrastructure, and the growing pressures of climate change. In this context, using water consciously is not only an environmental choice; it is a matter of resilience, public health and food security.

An-Najah National University (ANNU) treats responsible water use as a shared mission. Through its research centers, faculties, specialized units and student volunteers, the University carries water knowledge out of the laboratory and into homes, farms, schools and municipalities. The aim is to build a lasting culture of water consciousness and stewardship across the wider community, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

The Centers and Units Leading the Effort

Water outreach at An-Najah is a whole-university effort. The following centers, units and faculties each play a distinct role.

Energy, Water and Food Security Research Center and its Water Research Unit

Established in 1994, the Water Research Unit is one of the University's longest-standing bridges to the community. It studies and monitors the current and future water situation in Palestine with a focus on the needs of Palestinian society. For the wider community, the Unit:

• provides laboratory testing of drinking water, wastewater, groundwater, soil, plants and agricultural produce at reasonable cost;

• runs training workshops on water treatment for farmers, women, teachers and other community groups;

• delivers seminars, lectures and courses that raise awareness and build technical skills;

• issues periodic publications on water and the environment; and

• offers advisory services and feasibility studies to Palestinian institutions and international development organizations.

• builds the skills of the wider water sector. For example, the University's Water and Environmental Studies Institute delivered a specialized training course on using GIS spatial analysis for rainwater harvesting in Palestine (November 2021). Supported by FAO and funded by ICARDA, the course trained staff from the Palestinian Water Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, ARIJ and other water-sector organizations to identify sites where rainwater can be captured and put to use.

UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Water Resources Management

The UNESCO Chair links water science, environment, climate change and science education, and supports integrated water resources management under SDG 6. It builds community capacity through education and training, offers short-term training for universities and industry, strengthens planning and management skills across the Palestinian water sector, and provides a regional platform that brings together water scientists from academia and industry. The Chair also leads public events such as World Water Day celebrations and regional dialogues on water rights.

SAGE Center: Sustainable Adaptation to Global Change in the Middle East

Hosted at An-Najah with funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and coordinated with the University of Tübingen, the SAGE Center helps societies in the Jordan River region find science-based ways to manage natural resources under climate and land-use change. Its program includes stakeholder workshops with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment Quality Authority, and specialized courses such as Water Harvesting in Drylands (January 2025) and Scientific Writing in Hydrology. Read more in the SAGE Newsletter (October 2024).

Environmental Sustainability Research Center

The Center conducts research on water resource management and wastewater treatment and turns it into community action through environmental monitoring projects, policy advisory support, public seminars, environmental training programs, and workshops with municipalities and community stakeholders.

Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine

The Faculty works directly with local farmers and agricultural producers through workshops, field training and applied research on efficient irrigation, soil-water conservation and reducing water waste in agriculture. Its field-based community projects, such as the Good Agricultural Practices (PAL.G.A.P) project in villages across the Tulkarem and Jenin governorates, show how the Faculty reaches farmers, including women farmers, with practical guidance on safer and more sustainable production.

Faculty of Engineering

Engineering faculty and students design irrigation systems, smart water-monitoring devices and wastewater treatment solutions, and train communities to operate them. Student organizations, notably the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter, organize conferences and awareness activities that put environmental and water issues before students and local organizations.

Sustainability Office

Reporting to the University President, the Sustainability Office coordinates An-Najah's sustainability agenda across operations, teaching, research and community engagement. It designs awareness campaigns and training on water efficiency and responsible use, and tracks the University's progress through its Sustainability Report.

Community Service Center

The Community Service Center mobilizes students, volunteers and community groups for water conservation campaigns, hands-on training and public outreach. Through its Volunteer Program and Community Service and Sustainability Course and it’s My Environmental Home program, students learn responsible resource use and carry it into their own neighborhoods.

An-Najah Training Center

Operating within An-Najah Innovation Park (INNOPARK), the Training Center offers workshops, short courses and customized programs for community members, practitioners and businesses, providing a channel for sustainable water practices to reach the wider workforce.

Supporting Farmers and Rural Communities

Agriculture is the largest water user in Palestine, so this is where conscious use makes the greatest difference. An-Najah supports farmers and rural communities through:

• Agricultural guidance on efficient irrigation, soil-water conservation and crop-specific water optimization;

• Safe reuse of treated wastewater in agriculture, developed with national and international partners;

• Field training that lets farmers practice water-saving techniques on real farms; and

• Laboratory services that help farmers check the quality of the water and soil they depend on.

Technical Support for Municipalities and Institutions

An-Najah teams work alongside municipalities, schools, NGOs, farms, utilities and small industries to cut water losses and use every source wisely. Services include:

• water audits and leak detection;

• retrofitting buildings with water-efficient fixtures;

• rainwater harvesting and pilot greywater reuse projects;

• consulting for local councils on wastewater treatment, reuse and water infrastructure; and

• engineering interventions that improve water efficiency in urban and agricultural settings.

Raising Public Awareness

An-Najah regularly opens its doors to the public to spark conversation about water. Recent highlights include:

Environmental and Water Challenges Conference, September 2024 A student-led conference organized by the ASCE chapter with Seeds Association for Development and Culture, the Palestinian Hydrology Group and the Palestinian Women Water Network. Specialists and students from several West Bank universities examined water pollution, resource management and the impact of war on Palestinian water and sanitation.   Water Diplomacy in the Arab Region Conference, Amman, September 2023 Led by An-Najah's UNESCO Chairs with the Arab Water Experts Network and the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science, with UNESCO support. Experts and officials from across the Arab world discussed water rights and the role of water diplomacy, and the conference closed with recommendations for a unified Arab position on water rights. World Water Day celebration, March 2022 Organized by the UNESCO Chair with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), in cooperation with the Palestinian Water Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture and the ASCE student chapter. The event brought together the University and the wider community, with a special focus on spreading water-conservation awareness among school and university students.

Alongside these events, the University runs ongoing awareness campaigns on water conservation and climate resilience, and outreach programs for youth and civil-society organizations.

Recent Community Activities (2025–2026)

Conscious water use is not a one-off message at An-Najah; it is built into the University's ongoing work with schools, families, young people and entrepreneurs. Recent activities include:

Drip irrigation for three Nablus schools, July 2026

The Community Service Center equipped three girls' schools in Nablus (Ibn Sina Basic, Sheikh Muhammad Tuffaha Secondary and Yasser Arafat Secondary) with drip irrigation systems serving 155 trees. Delivering measured amounts of water directly to the roots cuts losses from evaporation and runoff, a practical answer to water scarcity and climate change. The project also brings water awareness into the classroom, giving students a working example of efficient irrigation in their own schoolyards.

3,000+ trees supported by water-saving irrigation networks, September 2026

Through its greening campaign, the Community Service Center planted more than 3,100 trees with 41 schools, 977 school students and 35 families. Drip irrigation networks were installed in participating schools to reduce water waste, and planting sites were chosen where reliable watering was possible, so every tree is grown with water efficiency in mind.

Innovation challenge on reusing treated wastewater in agriculture, June 2025

An-Najah hosted the pilot greenhouse of a project on nature-based solutions for water treatment and reuse in Palestine, implemented by the Palestinian Agricultural Development Association (PARC) with funding from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The project invited interdisciplinary teams of engineers and entrepreneurs to propose business ideas for irrigating vegetable crops with treated wastewater, with up to €10,000 available per funded idea, promoting safe reuse as an alternative to scarce fresh water.

Local Conference of Youth on Climate Change (LCOY Palestine), August 2026

The University hosted the national youth climate conference with the Environment Quality Authority and the Green Voices Network. An interactive workshop, "Imagine Your Water-Resilient City," invited young participants to explore how Palestinian cities can cope with water stress and climate change.

Ibn Sina School: greening and water solutions, February–July 2026

During the second phase of its greening campaign, attended by the Governor and Mayor of Nablus, the Community Service Center worked with the relevant authorities to resolve a wastewater problem at Ibn Sina School and later completed drip irrigation for the newly planted olive trees with the help of student volunteers.

Water-aware planting with families and students, 2025–2026

• Supporting displaced families in Tulkarem villages (February 2026): the Faculty of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine and the Community Service Center planted olive seedlings for families in Thinnaba and Iktaba, placing them near homes where families can easily water them.

• 301 trees in students' home gardens (January 2026): students of the Community Service course planted trees across eight governorates and documented the water source they would use to irrigate each seedling through the summer.

• Greening campaign in Nablus, phase one (February 2025): with the Nablus Directorate of Education, 464 trees were planted at 19 schools and charities, at sites selected for access to summer irrigation water.

FORWARD project: building water security capacity, September 2026

An-Najah leads the Palestinian track of the EU-funded FORWARD project. At its second stakeholder workshop, official bodies, service operators and civil-society representatives discussed groundwater sustainability and decentralized water security, and water management is one of the training modules being developed for local stakeholders.

Partnerships that Extend Our Reach

Through sustainable water collaboration, An-Najah combines its expertise with that of partners at every level:

• National: Palestinian Water Authority, Ministry of Agriculture, Water Sector Regulatory Council, Environment Quality Authority, Ministry of Local Government, and the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science.

• Civil society: Palestinian Hydrology Group, MAAN Development Center, House of Water and Environment, Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem (ARIJ), and the Norwegian Refugee Council.

• International: GIZ, KfW Development Bank, FAO, USAID, the World Bank Group, WeWorld, and DAAD.

• Academic: University of Tübingen, University of Freiburg, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, University of Jordan, and University of Utah, among others.

Together with these partners, the University delivers water-quality testing, environmental monitoring, safe wastewater reuse for agriculture, sustainable irrigation projects, and conservation training, with a particular focus on rural and underserved communities.

Get Involved

• Students: join the Community Service Center volunteer programme or a student society such as the ASCE chapter.

• Farmers and municipalities: contact the Water Research Unit for testing, training and technical advice.

• Professionals and organisations: explore courses at the An-Najah Training Center and the UNESCO Chair.

• Researchers and partners: see the University's ongoing research projects and get in touch with the Sustainability Office.