Gaza: Water and Sanitation Crisis Grows
October 30, 2023 /3BL/ - Gaza is dying of thirst. 2.3 million people living in the Gaza Strip urgently need clean water. According to estimates, the population has seen its average daily water consumption reduced to three liters, which includes hygiene and cooking needs. Action Against Hunger staff report that they only have one liter of water a day for the next few days.
Action Against Hunger warns that the amount of water that has entered Gaza on aid trucks, and the absence of fuel for critical water infrastructure, remains insufficient to meet the water and sanitation needs of displaced people and the communities that host them. In addition, more than half of the water supply infrastructure is currently damaged and in need of repair.
This crisis puts the population in an even more difficult situation, with many resorting to consuming saline groundwater, increasing the risk of contracting diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, a leading cause of child mortality worldwide. Cases of chicken pox and scabies have also been detected, which can be attributed to poor sanitation and consumption of water from unsafe sources.
“People are rationing water and drinking only one liter a day. Water tankers have no fuel. Desalination plants don’t work. You can’t access groundwater without fuel to pump it into the water network,” said Chiara Saccardi, Action Against Hunger’s Middle East Regional Director.
“Dehydration, extreme fatigue, along with thirst and dehydration or concentrated urine, which could mean that many people are suffering from kidney failure, are some of the symptoms we are starting to see. The sanitation crisis means we are on the brink of major disease outbreaks. We have reports of rats and cockroaches in displacement centers, piles up of solid waste and wastewater. We are doing what we can on the ground, but we face immense challenges.”
Action Against Hunger has already distributed thousands of bottles of water, hundreds of mattresses, and hygiene products on a small scale inside the Gaza Strip, in coordination with local and international actors. We are also providing a cleaning service in one of the most crowded displacement shelters and cash assistance to families in need.
Our emergency team is assessing immediate needs and coordinating with international and local partners to distribute lifesaving supplies from Egypt. We continue to work with suppliers who have stocks inside Gaza to distribute basic supplies such as water, food, hygiene products, diapers, blankets, and mattresses as efficiently and quickly as possible at short notice.
Our work is becoming increasingly challenging as local stocks are running out, inflation is rampant, fuel is almost completely depleted, which limits transportation, and the security situation remains insecure.
Action Against Hunger calls for the immediate entry of fuel to restart the pumping of water from groundwater sources, to restart of desalination plants for drinking water, and to power trucks to deliver water to displaced people.
About Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger leads the global movement to end hunger. We innovate solutions, advocate for change, and reach 28 million people every year with proven hunger prevention and treatment programs. As a nonprofit that works across 55 countries, our 8,900 dedicated staff members partner with communities to address the root causes of hunger, including climate change, conflict, inequity, and emergencies. We strive to create a world free from hunger, for everyone, for good.
