Hundreds of thousands in Gaza at risk of infectious diseases as water cuts continue

Palestinians could face outbreaks of cholera, hepatitis A or typhoid, warn humanitarians and officials

Palestinians walk amid the rubble following an Israeli air strike in Al Sheikh Redwan neighbourhood in northern Gaza city. EPA

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Hundreds of thousands are facing the threat of diseases such as cholera in the Gaza Strip, as the dead pile up and water and electricity cuts continue, humanitarians and local officials told The National on Thursday.

“We are incredibly concerned that if there isn't a greater level of access to water and sanitation, which requires electricity to enable the delivery of these services to people residing in densely populated urban areas, that there will be an outbreak of infectious disease,” said Michael Talhami, the International Committee of the Red Cross's strategic adviser for critical infrastructure and essential services in the Middle East.

The Israeli blockade has cut off electricity, clean water and fuel supplies, with only a small amount of UN convoys carrying aid entering the besieged enclave daily.

Gaza is facing a “serious threat to the public health due to pollution and lack of sewage treatment and control of its spillage from the north-east of the city into the sewage system”, Hosni Mhanam, Gaza municipality's spokesman, told The National.

The municipality is trying to find a short-term solution to provide water to civilians, he said.

“We have given out tens of barrels in several residential areas on a daily basis, despite the daily danger our staff faces while doing so,” Mr Mhanam said.

If authorities are unable to find a solution, then this “will lead to the spread of disease and insects which may also result into the seeping of this filthy water into the groundwater system”, Mr Mhanam said.

Civilians are taking refugee in overcrowded shelters, hospitals and schools across the strip, which has created poor sanitation conditions after 1.4 million people fled their homes ahead of intensified Israeli bombardment in the north.

“Typically, the types of infectious disease that could be expected to occur in such circumstances include cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis A, typhoid,” Mr Talhami said.

“An outbreak of infectious disease if these circumstances persist is foreseeable and hence preventable.”

Hundreds of thousands would be vulnerable, he said, and the number “really depends on how things unfold in terms of what types of coping mechanisms people will have access to in order to meet their basic water and sanitation needs”.

Mr Talhami was referring to civilians being able to maintain basic hygiene, have access to clean water and to keep away from sewage.

Electricity is key in preventing this catastrophe from happening, he said.

Following Israel's electricity cut in Gaza, the desalination plants all shut down. So did the wastewater treatment stations.

This has left the entire territory without running water, and people drink whatever dirty water dribbles out of the pipes.

“Without access to electricity, many of these large wastewater treatment plants that serve hundreds of thousands of people simply cannot function,” Mr Talhami said.

Without the means of pumping waste water out of populated areas, there is a high risk of sewage overflow and flooding in parts of the Gaza Strip, he added.

Amid heavy Israeli shelling, sewage lines have been destroyed in certain areas and as a result, civilians are directly exposed to wastewater.

People are also having to resort to drinking and bathing using only 3 litres of water per day, he said.

The World Health Organisation has said that 50 to 100 litres per day per person are needed to ensure proper hydration and sanitation.

Mr Mhanam says Gaza is facing a serious “thirst problem”, as nearly 80 per cent of local wells have been destroyed.

“About 80 wells and the desalination plant have stopped working in the north due to the harsh security situation. In Gaza city, 10 wells have been destroyed thanks to Israeli shelling,” Mr Mhanam said.

The Gazan official said the municipality needs assistance to recover the more than 2,000 bodies stuck under the rubble, as this could also contribute to the rapid spread of disease.

“We are calling for international groups to intervene and save our people and the city – to stop the spread of the impending infectious diseases that are threatening to destroy the city and its inhabitants,” he concluded.