The State of Water in the Gaza Strip

In light of a recent decision by the World Bank and the Islamic Development Bank to invest $6.4 million and $11.1 million, respectively, to improve the drinking water quality and sewage systems in the Gaza Strip, I thought it would be useful to examine the current state of drinking water resources in this deeply impoverished and war-torn territory.

First, the Palestinians in Gaza don’t have the water they need. According to Btselem, in 2010, Gaza's per-capita demand sat around 91 liters per day, which is 9 liters shy of the World Health Organization's minimum recommended consumption of 100 liters.

And where do Gazans get those 91 liters? The 500,000 people who live within the eight official refugee camps are most likely to fill up at OXFAM , UNWRA, or other internationally run facilities.

Otherwise, the only water Gaza residents can expect is that which comes out of the coastal aquifer, located directly beneath the Occupied Territory. In 2001, researchers from CDM Smith, in coordination with the Palestine Water Authority, estimated that the Territory and Israel removed approximately 25 million cubic meters per year. And based on that report, the estimated rate of removal would exhaust the aquifer in 20-25 years.

Concerns about the sustainability of Gaza’s aquifer are not new. Many began worrying about its overexploitation as early as 1933, a full 15 years before war refugees settled en masse above the subterranean resource.

Water in the Gaza aquifer is not only short in supply but also poor in quality. In 2005, salinity levels (measured by chloride concentration) were considerably brackish, especially in the densely populated areas of Gaza City and Rafah. Some predict these levels will soon transition from brackish (600-1000 mg Cl/L) to outright saline ( > 1000 mg Cl/L), which designates it non-potable. In addition, nitrates were measured a few years ago at over 500 mg/L. For comparison, the EPA's set Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) is 10 mg/L, which puts Gaza's water at 50 times the concentration allowed here in the U.S.

Courtesy of GROUND WATER

In light of high population growth projections -- some predict the Gaza Strip’s population will grow by 500,000 by 2020 – it’s clear why World Bank and the Israeli National Water Authority believe the area’s drinking water must be addressed soon. The World Bank-funded project will ideally help rehabilitate an ailing sewage system that mostly just lets waste-water sit out in large pools, contaminating the groundwater below. And the Israeli National Water Authority also has a recent developed program that aims to reduce the Gazan aquifer’s salinity levels, ensuring the precious local resource continues to provide drinkable water.

It’s reassuring to know help is on its way, but for an Occupied Territory in which 80 percent of the population is dependent on international humanitarian aid, it will likely take more than a cash infusion from two foreign banks to save the area from all future water-resource issues.

*Though some of my sources are dated, recent articles prove the water-scarcity trend is visible and the crisis is still apparent.