More than a quarter of illnesses in Gaza are caused by water pollution, a new study has said, noting that this is the main cause of mortality in the coastal enclave that has endured an Israeli siege since 2007.
The study, which the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a copy of, was carried out by RAND Corporation, an American NGO. It said that it reached these findings four years ago and that “since that time these numbers have continued to grow”.
Study: Polluted water main cause of death in Gaza https://t.co/Ko4JTjV5Qy pic.twitter.com/dPuxWIYVxr
— KhamakarPress (@KhamakarPress) October 17, 2018
Based on the report, Haaretz said that the collapse of water infrastructure has led to a sharp rise in germs and viruses such as rotavirus, cholera, and salmonella.
The report said the situation is worsening due to repeated Israeli operations in Gaza which started in 2008.
Haaretz reported:
“Today, 97 percent of drinking water in the Strip is not drinkable by any recognized international standard.”
"To think that all this is taking place beyond the fences of a water power such as Israel is inconceivable,” @ShiraEfron of @RANDCorporation. We agree that Israel must take responsibility for Gaza's water crisis https://t.co/JGHZEeu8oa
— Gisha גישה مسلك (@Gisha_Access) October 17, 2018
The Israeli newspaper continued:
“Some 90 percent of residents drink water from private purifiers because the larger installations have been damaged by fighting or have fallen into disuse since they couldn’t be maintained.”
The study concluded that the current situation is that “Gaza is incapable of supplying enough water for its 2 million inhabitants”.
“Gaza schools have one toilet per 75 pupils and one sink for washing hands per 80. Most of this water is either recycled or from a reservoir. As a result, the very presence of children in these schools puts them at risk of contracting gastrointestinal diseases.”
'sewage travels across borders.' – why providing safe water and proper sanitation is so important for the health of people inside and outside #Gaza #Palestine https://t.co/IUSkE8QA2l @UNICEFwater
— Toby Fricker (@tobyfricker) October 17, 2018
It also said:
“Schools, public buildings and hospitals are only cleaned when necessary in order to conserve water. Hospital staff only wash their hands when it’s essential and not on a regular basis when going from one patient to another, in order to conserve the water for life-saving treatment.”
An unbelievable Israeli scandal: ''Polluted Water Leading Cause of Child Mortality in Gaza'', Study Finds. And it's even worse. https://t.co/ailAh8OqG0
— abuPessoptimist (@abuPessoptimist) October 17, 2018
The study said that the average cost of water use per capita in the West is 0.7 percent of monthly wages, but in Gaza a third of monthly wages goes toward the purchase of water, pointing out that the high rate of unemployment makes many people unable to buy clean water.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
