GAZA — The
Palestinian NGO Network issued a report on
Monday, August 7, warning that 97 percent of the water in the underground
reservoir in the Gaza Strip is not suitable for drinking, according to the
WHO’s standards.
اضافة اعلان
The report stated that, "the water problem in the
Gaza Strip is complex and compounded, involving political conditions, the continuous
Israeli occupation for 56 years, as well as the Israeli blockade for over 16
years, division, and the rapid increase in population along with limited
resources," Shehab News reported.
The report added that the aforementioned factors have led to
a severe deterioration in the water sector, causing delays in the implementation
of several projects, notably the central
seawater desalination plant project in
Gaza.
Water sources
The Gaza Strip includes three main valleys: Wadi Gaza in the
center, Beit Hanoun in the north, and Wadi Al-Salqa in the south. The
occupation has worked to divert and prevent their natural flow from within the
Green Line, especially from the Hebron hills, for Israeli purposes, leading to
these sources drying up.
The report clarified that "groundwater is the sole
source of water,” and they added that “agriculture is the
primary consumer of water in the Gaza Strip, accounting for more than 55 percent of the total
extracted groundwater, while the rest is used for domestic water supply and
industrial purposes."
The report continued, "The coastal aquifer in the Gaza
Strip receives an annual recharge and infiltration rate ranging between 55 and
60 million cubic meters annually, primarily from rainfall, in addition to 30
million cubic meters per year from lateral groundwater flow and leaks."
Water consumption
"The intensive annual groundwater withdrawal rates from
the aquifer are approximately 200 million cubic meters, resulting in an annual
cumulative water deficit ranging between 90 and 110 million cubic meters."
According to the latest statistics issued by the
Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, the total water supply for domestic use reached about 98 million cubic
meters in 2022, extracted through 288 municipal water wells.
The report mentioned that "drinking water is produced
by 296 private and public desalination plants (brackish and seawater)
distributed throughout the Gaza Strip, in addition to 15 million cubic meters
of drinking water obtained from the Israeli water company 'Mekorot' under the
Oslo Agreement between Palestinians and Israel."
Decreasing water quality
The report confirmed that excessive water extraction has led
to a continuous intrusion of
seawater into the groundwater, contributing to the
deterioration of water quality by increasing salinity levels.
They highlighted that there chloride salt concentrations in
the water range from 500 to 3000 milligrams per liter, which should not exceed
250 milligrams per liter for drinking water. There are also high nitrate
concentrations, ranging from 100 to 800 milligrams per liter, especially in the
northern part of Gaza.
Possible solutions
The report argued that to overcome the water crisis in the
Gaza Strip, resorting to seawater desalination is necessary, including the
establishment of a central desalination plant for this purpose. Another
solution involves desalinating the brackish groundwater and providing it
through public and private desalination plants.
The
Gaza Strip needs non-conventional water sources, such as
the establishment of seawater desalination plants, importing more water from
outside, rainwater harvesting, and reusing treated sewage water. To achieve
this, there is a need for international support and increased community
awareness about the importance of water conservation, as well as the
development of governmental policies and strategies to enhance water
desalination and improve water resource management.
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