Gaza siege puts public health at risk as water and sanitation services deteriorate, warns Oxfam

Jerusalem, 20 November 2007 – Humanitarian agency Oxfam International today said there is an increasing risk to public health in Gaza as water and sanitation services begin to buckle under the strain of Israel’s restrictions on fuel, vital maintenance goods and spare parts into Gaza.

According to Oxfam International’s partner the Coastal Municipalities Water Utilities (CMWU) 15% of Gaza’s population – 225,000 people – is not receiving an adequate amount of drinking water due to the lack of diesel.

Oxfam is also worried at the latest reports of Israel’s Attorney General’s Office giving approval to its new Defense Ministry’s plan to reduce the quantity of electricity delivered to the Gaza Strip. This decision comes on top of Israel’s fuel reductions since 28 October 2007, which are having an immediate impact on the water and wastewater systems in the Gaza Strip.

According to Oxfam International Executive Director Jeremy Hobbs: 

“There has to be an immediate resumption of fuel supplies to Gaza if we are to avoid a public health crisis. Access to clean water is a fundamental human right and must not be used as a tool to collectively punish the population of Gaza. As international efforts increase to breathe new life into progress towards peace, the international community is ignoring Gaza’s plight, allowing it to slip further into a crisis. Ordinary civilians in Gaza are being punished for crimes they have not committed, in clear violation of international humanitarian law. This illegal policy of collective punishment must stop at once.” 

For the first two weeks of November CMWU had on average 7 water wells in Gaza City that worked either partially or not at all due to the lack of diesel. As a result 50,000 people were directly affected and received 75% less water. According to partners and staff the situation throughout the Gaza Strip is deteriorating as the availability of water is dropping further. Electricity reductions would only exacerbate Gaza’s sufferings.

CMWU warns that more people are now buying water from various sources many of which do not implement proper quality control. Drinking non-treated water can lead to severe health problems.

The water and sewage system is already very vulnerable because of severe restrictions on the entry of goods into the Gaza Strip. CMWU is experiencing severe shortages of spare parts, and other materials necessary for repairs and preventive maintenance, which have been repeatedly denied access by the Israel Defense Forces since June 2007. When the rainy season begins more diesel and electricity will be needed to operate the sewage system.

Since the diesel fuel cuts started on late October 2007 CMWU has faced growing problems in operating the water and wastewater system throughout the Gaza Strip. As the sole water supplier for Gaza’s 1.5 million people, CMWU is highly dependant on diesel to run generators for its 135 water wells, 33 pumping stations and 3 treatment plants because throughout the Gaza Strip there is already an electricity deficit.

Oxfam International calls for the immediate resumption of unimpeded fuel deliveries to the territory. Oxfam also urges the government of Israel to immediately cease acts of collective punishment on the impoverished civilians of the Gaza Strip. It calls on the international community to speak out against the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza and to hold responsible actors accountable for protection of civilians.