GAZA, (PIC)
On the eve of summer in the Gaza Strip, a severe water crisis is intensifying at an unprecedented level. Widespread destruction of infrastructure caused by Israeli attacks, combined with a sharp decline in usable water supplies, has pushed more than two million people toward one of the most dangerous water security crises in the region.
The crisis is not limited to scarcity and difficulty of access; it extends to the very quality of the water itself. Even when water is obtained, it is often unfit for drinking or safe human use.
According to estimates by UNICEF, more than 90 percent of Gaza’s water is undrinkable due to high salinity and contamination from sewage leakage, alongside the long-term depletion of the coastal aquifer.
In the aftermath of the war on Gaza, the situation has deteriorated dramatically. Water networks, pumping stations, and desalination facilities have suffered direct and indirect damage, reducing the operational capacity of the water sector to critical levels.
Shocking figures and realities
Assessments by the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank indicate that Gaza’s infrastructure has experienced widespread collapse, with a large proportion of water and sanitation facilities either damaged or destroyed. This has directly affected both the quantity and quality of available water.
Reports show that individuals in Gaza now receive far less than the minimum daily water requirement recommended globally, while desalination plants operate at reduced capacity due to shortages of electricity and fuel.
Before the war, the average daily per capita water consumption stood at approximately 80 to 85 liters, covering full domestic use. Today, however, that figure has plummeted to just 3 to 5 liters per day in many areas. Some estimates indicate that parts of northern Gaza receive only 5.7 liters daily, while in extreme displacement scenarios, consumption has dropped to as little as 1.5 to 2 liters per day.
UNICEF data further indicates that 90 percent of Gaza’s population lacks safe access to drinking water, and that 96 percent of groundwater is unfit for human consumption due to contamination and salinity. As a result, most residents rely on unsafe or partially treated water sources.
According to the Palestinian Water Authority, Gaza’s water crisis is no longer merely a supply shortage, it has become a near-total collapse of infrastructure, coupled with severe operational dysfunction and a direct threat to public health and food security.
In effect, water in Gaza has shifted from a basic service to a scarce emergency resource, subject to harsh operational constraints.
Summer pressure: Rising demand, shrinking supply
As temperatures rise in the summer, water demand naturally increases. However, this demand collides with extreme scarcity.
Umm Luay, 37, says, “In summer, we need twice as much water, but we barely have enough to drink. We are forced to buy water at high prices.”
Abu Mohammad, 50, told a local reporter that the water reaching displacement camps is unreliable, yet remains the only option in the absence of alternatives.
Many residents resort to purchasing water from mobile tankers or private desalination stations. These solutions, however, are costly and often unreliable in quality, placing an additional financial burden on families already struggling under harsh living conditions.
A growing health crisis
Children are the most vulnerable to the water crisis. The lack of clean water affects their growth and overall health, increasing the risk of disease, especially in densely populated areas.
The World Health Organization warns that water contamination, combined with rising temperatures, contributes to the spread of waterborne diseases, particularly acute diarrhea and dehydration among children.
Doctors in Gaza report a noticeable increase in gastrointestinal infections during the summer, largely due to reliance on unsafe or insufficiently treated water sources.
Amid the ongoing impact of war and rising temperatures, Gaza’s water crisis has become an immediate and daily threat to life. Between deteriorating infrastructure and scarce resources, residents face an increasingly dire reality, where access to clean water is no longer guaranteed, but instead a daily struggle for survival.
