Due to the illegal Israeli closure and unbridged national divisions, the public service sectors are becoming increasingly vulnerable in Gaza, notably regarding water safety. Other determinants of the quality of life in Gaza are declining as well.

On 21 February 2018, Gaza’s municipalities issued a warning regarding the safety of seawater and reported the potential need to restrict access to the sea. The stated aim of the restriction is to protect people from the harmful effects of sea pollution, which is caused by wastewater being pumped directly into the sea. The lack of fuel and electricity in Gaza mean that the water treatment plants cannot operate effectively, prompting the authorities to pump the wastewater off the coast.  

In early 2017, Gaza’s municipalities announced that due to a shrinking budget, the services would be curtailed, affecting wastewater treatment and provision of water for human consumption and use. An amount of over 100,000 cubic meters of wastewater proceeded to be dumped daily into the sea. In July 2017, the Ministry of Health and the Environment Quality Authority conducted a lab assessment that revealed Gaza’s seawater to be 73 percent polluted. The sector has made only partial payments to employees since the announcement.

Al Mezan’s documentation shows that since 24 February 2018, Gaza’s municipalities have been decreasing a wide range of services by between 25 and 50 percent. For example, trash collection will change from a daily service to one provided every four days. The health and environmental effects of piled trash are numerous, especially in overcrowded areas.

The environmental pollution has already had serious health repercussions, notably regarding Mohammed Ahmed Al Sayes, 5, who died as a result of swimming in polluted water on 29 July 2017.[1] The risk of this incident reoccurring is heightened with summer approaching, when the population will flock to Gaza’s beaches.

The decline in environmental health and services provision is extremely distressing given the existence of a prolonged humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. The illegal closure of Gaza must be lifted through pressure by the international community.

[1] Check Al Mezan’s press release on Mohammed Al Sayes’ death: http://www.mezan.org/en/post/22030