Gaza Water Authority Warns of Imminent Catastrophe Due to Collapse of Water and Sanitation Services.
The Water and Environmental Quality Authority in the Gaza Strip warned on Saturday of an imminent humanitarian, health, and environmental catastrophe resulting from the severe deterioration of water and sanitation services. This deterioration is exacerbated by the ongoing siege and restrictions on the entry of fuel, oils, spare parts, equipment, and materials necessary for the operation and maintenance of water and sanitation facilities.
In a press release issued on the occasion of World Environment Day, published by the Government Media Office in Gaza on its Telegram channel and reviewed by the Yemeni News Agency (Saba), the Authority stated that the Gaza Strip is facing one of the most serious environmental and health crises in its modern history. The risks are escalating, threatening the collapse of essential water and sanitation services, which directly impacts the lives of more than two million citizens.
It explained that municipalities and water and sanitation service providers are facing increasing challenges in operating water wells, desalination plants, and wastewater pumping stations, despite the need for continuous operation to provide more than 140,000 cubic meters of water daily for domestic use and drinking water, especially with rising temperatures and increased water demand during the summer.
It noted that sanitation facilities handle approximately 50,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily, warning that the severe shortage of fuel, oil, spare parts, and maintenance supplies could lead to the shutdown of these vital facilities at any moment, threatening the accumulation of raw sewage within cities, camps, and residential areas.
The authority pointed out that the Sheikh Radwan pond in Gaza City is one of the most critical sites, receiving more than 10,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily. The breakdown of the associated pumping station due to a lack of operating and maintenance supplies threatens to raise the level of wastewater and cause it to overflow into neighboring residential areas, increasing the likelihood of disease outbreaks, epidemics, and environmental pollution.
The statement emphasized that the repercussions of the crisis extend to the health sector, as many hospitals and health facilities rely on desalination plants to provide the safe water necessary for medical and treatment services.
It explained that the disruption of these plants could threaten the continuity of essential health services, most notably dialysis and critical medical care.
The statement warned that the continuation of the current situation, coinciding with the summer season and the increased demand for water, could lead to a widespread collapse of water and sanitation services, with accompanying health, environmental, and humanitarian consequences that would be difficult to contain.
It called on international mediators, the United Nations, humanitarian organizations, and donors to intervene urgently to ensure the entry of supplies needed to operate and maintain water and sanitation facilities, to lift restrictions on the entry of equipment and rehabilitation materials, and to enable technical teams to gain safe access to the affected facilities.
In conclusion, the statement affirmed that what the Gaza Strip is experiencing today represents an unprecedented environmental and humanitarian crisis, stressing that the provision of safe water and sanitation services is a fundamental human right, and that any delay in responding to this crisis will exacerbate the health, environmental, and humanitarian risks to the residents of the Strip.
