Gaza- For the second consecutive day, all infrastructure facilities stop working in Nuseirat camp Alotted, Gaza StripAs a result of running out of fuel, which threatens a healthy and environmental catastrophe that threatens the lives of more than 180 thousand people.
The director of the mayor’s office, Eng. Mohamed Al -Salhi, said that the main reason for the crisis is the strict siege and the complete closure of the crossings since last March, which prevented the entry of any quantities of fuel needed to operate the generators that pump fresh water and get rid of solid waste and sanitation.
Al -Salhi said, in a special interview with Al -Jazeera Net, that the main water tank in Nuseirat stopped working, and that the camp has become completely paralyzed, with 26 water wells, two main tanks with a capacity of 4 thousand cubic meters of water, 7 desalination plants, a central sewage station, and 17 service mechanisms that were used in public hygiene and daily services.
He pointed out that the continuation of the current situation will be more than 80,000 tons of solid waste in the streets, which constitutes a fertile focus for epidemics, insects and rodents.
Rescue demands
In light of the high temperatures, Al -Salihi described the water crisis as the most dangerous, indicating that the interruption of drinking water will lead to the outbreak of diseases such as CholeraAndTyphoidAnd acute diarrhea.
He also pointed out that one of the main water sources in the city, a water line coming from Israel, has been suspended since last January, and the occupation does not allow its maintenance, which doubled the intensity of the crisis and the heaviest of the municipality.
The occupation destroyed – according to Al -Salhi – during the war, 7 water wells, and damaged 5 others, adding, “Nevertheless, we managed to dig 5 new wells to ensure the minimum water supply … but today, all of this is threatened with stopping.”
Al -Salhi indicated that the municipality made urgent humanitarian calls to international bodiesUnited NationsAndRed CrossAnd relief institutions, demanding:
- Entering emergency fuel to operate generators and basic facilities.
- Allow the maintenance of the water line coming from Israel.
- Providing immediate financing to rehabilitate water and sewage networks.
- Enter heavy equipment to lift the rubble and open roads.
- Support for buying and maintaining generators and pumps that have been out of service.
He warned that any additional delay in responding to these demands means a comprehensive collapse of the city’s public health system.
Al -Salihi concluded his speech, calling for a “conscience of the world” and said that “any additional delay in responding to this call means the exacerbation of the disaster, and endangering the lives of thousands of civilians to real danger, we appeal to the world immediately, so silence today is a participation in the tragedy.”
Disaster
In light of the complete interruption of water in the city of Nusseirat, the citizen, Mohamed Ashour, tells an aspect of the daily suffering that is exacerbated with the passage of time, and he says to Al -Jazeera Net, “The water was arriving twice a week, then once, but now it is completely cut, and I have a family of 10 individuals.”
Ashour notes that the suffering is doubled in his area, saying: “Hundreds of displaced people from all areas of the Strip live near us, and we were providing them with water, but now, everyone is without water.”
He explained that the residents at the present time are in a major crisis, especially as they are unable to buy water, in light of the extreme poverty that everyone suffers from by war.
He asked, “We do not have the money to buy food, so how will we buy water?!”, Awareness of the consequences of the continuation of the crisis if the situation continues as it is, and added, “A major catastrophe will explode, because the municipality will not be able to collect waste or withdraw wastewater, and the situation will go out of control.”
Hunger over thirst
From a town Hanoun To the Nuseirat camp, the journey of displacement nor the seasons of suffering was not over for Muhammad Al -Afifi, who left his house after he was destroyed by the Israeli bombing, as part of the waves of forced displacement of residents of the northern Gaza Strip.
Al -Nusairat camp, according to the municipal official, Mohamed Al -Salhi, will host approximately 80,000 displaced people from various regions of the Gaza Strip.
Al -Afifi, who lives today with his family in a tent that does not protect against the heat of summer or the cold of winter, says that the suffering did not stop at the point of losing housing and food, but rather extended to the most basic needs, which is “water”.
“In addition to hunger and lack of food, we are suffering from the lack of water, whether for drinking or even cleanliness, and we search for it everywhere and we do not find, we are in a state of hunger and thirst together.”
Al -Afifi notes that obtaining a small amount of water, tomorrow is a stressful daily challenge, adding, “We stand in long queues in front of a weak water pipe that nourishes hundreds of residents, and we are waiting for hours to fill one bucket (a few liters), and 10 days ago we did not reach the water permanently, and the municipality stopped pumping due to running out of fuel.”
Al -Afifi and his six family members suffer severely, and he explains that even if they want to buy water, they do not find it, and he says, “We are looking for fresh water trucks without success, and we live in famine and thirst at the same time, so water is cut, food is scarce, and our lives are completely paralyzed.”