Gaza facing 'man-made drought' with water system on brink of collapse

Unicef and local authorities plead with Israel to let in fuel needed for pumps, desalination plants and distribution vehicles

Palestinians fill empty containers with drinking water at a distribution point in Nuseirat, Gaza. AFP

Gaza's population, already struggling to be fed because of Israeli restrictions on the entry of aid, now faces the prospect of a “man-made drought” unless Israel starts to allow fuel into the coastal strip.

After more than 20 months of war, only 40 per cent of the Palestinian territory's drinking water system is functional – 87 out of 217 production centres – but only as long as limited fuel reserves last, according to UN children's agency Unicef.

“If the current more than 100-day blockade on fuel coming into Gaza does not end, children will begin to die of thirst,” Unicef spokesman James Elder said.

Fuel has become essential to power services such as water supply and health care for more than two million Palestinians, after Israel cut electricity supply to Gaza following the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas that triggered the war.

Mr Elder said that while there was rightful concern over the nutrition situation in Gaza, with Unicef reporting a 50 per cent increase in children between the ages of six months and five years being admitted for treatment of acute malnutrition from April to May, “water cannot be sidelined”.

“Gaza is facing what would amount to a man-made drought. Water systems are collapsing,” he told a press briefing in Geneva.

Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) said the lack of fuel and operating materials was threatening a complete breakdown in water and sanitation systems, with the functioning of desalination plants, pumping stations, and groundwater all affected.

“Access to clean and safe water has become a daily challenge that threatens public health and puts children's lives in direct danger,” the CMWU told The National. “This collapse is not technical, it is the direct result of the blockade and denial of essential operational materials.”

The utility called on the United Nations and international humanitarian organisations to act swiftly to prevent a health and environmental disaster.

Besides pumps and generators, fuel is also needed for tankers to carry water to makeshift camps for Gazans displaced by the war.

Assem Al Nabeeh, an engineer and representative of Gaza city’s municipality, set out the extent of the infrastructure damage caused by Israel's war against Hamas.

“The occupation has destroyed more than 75 per cent of the city’s central water wells, either entirely or partially,” Mr Al Nabeeh told the National. “In Gaza city alone, we have over 110,000 metres of water pipelines damaged. The situation is far worse across the strip.”

He said less than half of the city area currently has a water supply. Even in the best circumstances in previous months, only half the city had access. Most residents have not had the benefit of a water supply in months.

International standards call for 100 to 120 litres of water per person per day but Gaza's residents receive far less, according to Mr Al Nabeeh. The result is outbreaks of gastrointestinal and skin diseases because of a lack of basic hygiene, he said.

He said the lack of potable water was forcing some people to drink water from taps, which was only suitable for cleaning because of contamination and high salinity.

“This is not just a crisis of drinking water,” Mr Al Nabeeh said. “It is a daily crisis of survival. Unless fuel, spare parts and maintenance equipment are allowed in, we will lose the entire system, and countless lives along with it.”