Gaza Infrastructure Nearing Collapse
Local Editor
Gaza's infrastructure is on the verge of collapse, the "Israeli" rights group "Gisha" said in a detailed report it issued on Tuesday, which painted a bleak picture of the lack of basic utilities in the Strip.
It described how Gaza's 1.8 million residents lack regular supplies of electricity, drinking water and adequate telecommunication services. "Electricity blackouts in Gaza last between 8-12 hours each day, and have sometimes even reached 20 hours straight," the group said.
"Cooking gas and fuel for industry and vehicles are sometimes unavailable as well. One constant in Gaza is the persistent noise made by generators both domestic and industrial that are employed throughout the Strip to power homes, businesses, schools and hospitals in the absence of a consistent electricity supply," it explained.
Gaza has one power plant, which is inadequate to meet the needs of the Strip, producing only 60 to 80 megawatts.
Egypt sells Gaza 28 megawatts and the "Israeli" entity sells it 120 megawatts. This is far short of the 400 megawatts needed daily, "Gisha" said.
The "Israeli" rights group further added, in 2015, the average water consumption was 86 liters per-person, per-day, 14 less than the 100 liters per-day per-person that the World Health Organization recommends.
Some 96% of Gaza's ground water is contaminated and its well water is pumped out faster than it is replaced, the report said. Electricity problems had only exacerbated the issue, it added.
The "Israeli" entity had increased the amount of water it had sold to Gaza, but the outdated infrastructure cannot handle the increased supply, the group said.
The entity also has a large role to play, because of the restrictions it places on the border crossings into Gaza, particularly the banning of certain items necessary for improving the infrastructure in the Strip, such as UPS devices and solar panels, "Gisha" noted. It had long held that the "Israeli" entity must lift its restrictions.
"‘Israel' blames Palestinians for the situation, but at the same time delays the entry of materials and equipment necessary for progress on projects, including those meant to repair damage from the latest military operation in 2014," the rights group said. "The risk of future conflict deters foreign donors from initiating new projects," it added.
"Gisha" recommended that the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority waive the excise tax for diesel fuel, improve bill collection, repair infrastructure, and connect the supply lines based on an already existing agreement with the "Israeli" entity. The electricity supply from Egypt should also be increased, the group said.
Upgrading Gaza's digital communications to 3G is also important, "Gisha" said.
In the long term, it urged that the Strip's sole power plant should be connected to natural gas sources and a large scale desalination plant should be built. Since "Gisha" completed its report, some steps had been taken to improve the situation.
The Palestinian Authority plans to run a new gas line into Gaza through the "Kerem Shalom" crossing for fuel that can be used only for the power plant.
The European Union [EU] last week inaugurated the first phase of a seawater desalination plant in Khan Yunis that will provide fresh water to 75,000 Gazans.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
