More than a quarter of illnesses in Gaza are caused by water pollution, a new study has said, noting that this is the main cause of mortality in the coastal enclave that has endured an Israeli siege since 2007.
The study, which the Israeli newspaper Haaretz published a copy of, was carried out by RAND Corporation, an American NGO.
It said that it reached these findings four years ago and that “since that time these numbers have continued to grow”.
Based on the report, Haaretz said that the collapse of water infrastructure has led to a sharp rise in germs and viruses such as rotavirus, cholera and salmonella.
The report said the situation is worsening due to repeated Israeli operations in Gaza which started in 2008.
READ: Lifting the siege means bringing Hezbollah to Gaza, says Lieberman “Today, 97 per cent of drinking water in the Strip is not drinkable by any recognised international standard,” Haaretz reported.
“Some 90 per cent of residents drink water from private purifiers, because the larger installations have been damaged by fighting or have fallen into disuse since they couldn’t be maintained,” the Israeli paper continued.
Not enough water supplies The study concluded that the current situation is that “Gaza is incapable of supplying enough water for its 2 million inhabitants”.
“Gaza schools have one toilet per 75 pupils and one sink for washing hands per 80.
Most of this water is either recycled or from a reservoir.