Poisoned water, burnt farmlands and a shattered power grid will plague the humanitarian response in Gaza if they are not addressed immediately, Israeli researchers have warned.
A report by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies has found that Gaza is on the brink of “ecological collapse” after two years of war. While there are hopes that a ceasefire will allow much needed humanitarian aid into the strip, these recovery efforts are threatened by the unfolding environmental crisis.
More than 300 wells are damaged or inaccessible, and desalination plants operate at just 15 to 50 per cent of capacity, a report published on Wednesday found. Water availability has plummeted to as little as 8.4 litres per person per day – far below the World Health Organisation’s emergency minimum of 15 litres.
Raw sewage is being diverted into open lagoons or seeps into porous soil, contaminating the aquifer Gaza shares with Israel and Egypt and creating ideal conditions for water-borne disease outbreaks. More than 80 per cent of croplands have been damaged or destroyed since the escalation of hostilities, erasing local food production capacity.
Open burning of solid waste and the pulverisation of building materials have filled the air with particulate matter, raising long-term risks of respiratory and cardiovascular disease. Hazardous medical waste has piled up untreated in clinics and hospitals – only four to six per cent is being safely disposed of – creating biohazards in facilities that are already overwhelmed.
“Gaza’s environment is in free fall – poisoned water, ruined croplands, and a shattered power grid are pushing the territory to the brink,” said Dr David Lehrer, the Arava Institute’s director of Applied Environmental Diplomacy. “What we are witnessing is not just a humanitarian catastrophe but an ecological collapse that threatens the very possibility of recovery.
“Gaza’s aquifer is contaminated, farmland has been decimated, and sewage seeps into the soil, polluting shared groundwater and setting the stage for outbreaks of water-borne disease that could spread beyond Gaza’s borders,” he said. Efforts to stabilise the environmental crisis need to begin now, and Dr Lehrer warned against a “top-down approach”, instead favouring local, “community-based solutions”.
“Waiting for politics to catch up is not an option,” he said. “Recovery must start now, with community-driven solutions that can restore the land, water and air. Our report offers a phased, locally led road map to stabilise the crisis immediately, regenerate Gaza’s ecosystems over time, and lay the foundation for a peaceful, thriving future.”
