The Devastating Impact of Gaza’s Acute and Prolonged Water Crisis
Publisher: Middle East Institute
Author(s): Natasha Westheimer
Date: 2024
Topics: Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
Countries: Gaza, Palestine
The Gaza Strip, a densely populated coastal enclave, faces a severe and worsening water crisis. Over the past five months, Gaza has been devastated by Israel’s unrelenting military campaign. With the death toll now above 31,000 and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis plaguing the strip, one of the most urgent challenges facing its residents is access to water. The 2.2 million Palestinians living in Gaza are rationing 1-3 liters a day for all water uses and are often resorting to drinking water from the sea or other unsafe sources. Dehydration, flu, and skin diseases from lack of safe and sufficient water supply are widespread.
This water crisis, though devastatingly more severe, is not new to Gaza. Water insecurity has had a significant impact on human security, public health, economic development, and climate resilience for decades. This latest, acute water crisis is exacerbated by the underlying challenges facing Gaza’s water sector. Unravelling the layers of this complex issue requires understanding the critical barriers to clean water access and the devastating consequences of both prolonged and acute water insecurity.