The Gaza Strip is suffering from a severe crisis and needs to obtain water, today said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in a report on the environmental catastrophe that threatens livelihoods in Gaza Strip in light of the 41-day long Israeli aggression.
Prior to October 7, when the aggression started, the average per capita water consumption was approximately 82.7 liters per person per day, it said. However, since the beginning of the Israeli occupation’s aggression, this figure has dropped to only 1 to 3 liters per person per day, which means this Israeli aggression has led to a decrease of 90% in the availability of water sources, resulting in a drop of 92% in water consumption compared to pre-aggression levels.
This dire situation underscores the devastating impact of the aggression on the water infrastructure, with around 55% of the water supply systems in urgent need of repair or rehabilitation in the Gaza Strip, said the PCBS.
The population in the Gaza Strip has been suffering fr
om a severe crisis regarding access to safe water for many years due to the Israeli siege on Gaza, whereas, before the Israeli aggression, only 4% of the Gaza population had access to safe and clean water.
Currently, with the continuous aggression on Gaza and the lack of fuel needed to operate water desalination plants and water well pumps, people are suffering to get water, any water at all, and not only safe water. Only one water desalination plant located in the south of Gaza is working with an operating capability reached 5%, while the other two plants are not working due to power outages and lack of fuel.
Due to the complete destruction of infrastructure by the Israeli aggression, about 65 sewage pumps have stopped working, and all six wastewater treatment plants have been completely shut down due to power outages and fuel shortages, thus the influx of about 130,000 cubic meters per day of untreated wastewater into the Mediterranean Sea in Gaza Strip.
The ongoing Israeli occupation’s aggression on the
Gaza Strip and the lack of fuel forced the solid waste collection vehicles to be out of service, and so did the sanitary landfills. The service of waste collection rate before the war was estimated to be 98%, collected in sanitary landfills. But, during the war, solid waste collection service has decreased to less than 20%, and so a large quantity of waste has piled in the streets and around shelter centers, schools, and in some temporary landfills.
It is worth mentioning that the medical wastes have been mixed with other wastes, which will cause a health and environmental disaster.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA
