Askar Pond reserve

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It is situated on the road between Qalqilya and Nablus cities in the north of the west Bank, nearby the villages of Jinsafout and the Fondoeq, travelers can realize the presence of a dehydrated pond in summer, in winter with rain freshwater, called the natural (Askar Balwa Pond).

It is known as a part of the northern barrier zone surrounding Qana Valley Nature Reserve near Salfit city, and due to landfill operations to be used in agricultural activities, construction, construction and expansion of roads, it became the only pond wherever rainwater gathers, its dimensions reach at the height of rainfall up to 35 to 40 meters. The pond is a very crucial aquatic habitat for many local and migratory birds, it has an environmental value and natural heritage, as it comprises a unique ecosystem in the West Bank due to the geological nature and the inimitable rock formation. The literal-legged Syrian frog was recorded in this pond, this frog species is an extinct species from Jordan and is threatened in Palestine, also the buttercup flower was recorded, it is a unique aquatic flower that was only recorded elsewhere in the West Bank, the pond contains some species of crustaceans that the frogs feed on. The pond is characterized by the presence of the water lentil plant, which disappears as the pond dries up in the summer and reappears when it is filled with water.

In December of 2019, the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority issued a decision published in the official magazine:(Al-Waqi’a) regarding and approving the pond as a natural site, based on the provisions of the edited Basic Law of 2003 and its amendments, and the provisions of Law No. (7) of 1999 regarding the amended environment, especially articles. 40, 41 and 44 of it. The decision proclaimed by the former minister of Environment, Eng. Adalah Althera comprises a set of instructions to preserve and conserve the site through preventing any work or activities or disposing on the site and its surroundings, which would affect the natural environment.

Nedal Sawalmeh  0598222466

Alaa Hammouz    0599392387

Rizik Ghayada     0568640522