ASIA/HOLY LAND - Water emergency in Gaza, initiatives of AGIRE network

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

Gaza (Agenzia Fides) - The shortage or complete lack of water in cities, villages and refugee camps weighs on the lives of people fleeing in different areas of the Middle East. The management of water supplies and the control of large dams also created friction in the past between Syria, Turkey and Iraq, and now represents one of the areas of contention between armies and militias, including those of jihadist origin. It is no coincidence that the dams in Tabqua and Mosul have been the priority objectives of the militiamen of the Islamic State. And a striking incident is represented by the situation in Aleppo, where the interruption of water supplies is used as a collective punishment in all sectors of the divided city.
Access to water is also one of the "hotspots" of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinians have at their disposal a quantity of drinking water that is among the lowest in the world, well below the threshold of absolute scarcity.
Non-governmental organizations linked to the AGIRE network (Italian Agency Emergency Response) are also committed to supporting projects to ensure adequate water supply to the population of Gaza. "In Gaza - says Stefano Gambini, CVG (Civil Voluntary Group) project leader in a statement sent to Fides Agency - we intervened immediately after the signing of the truce, to repair water infrastructure, and we handed out vouchers for the purchase of fuel and the use of water purification systems, desalination and water pumping both for families and for schools, nurseries and hospitals". In the Palestinian city water supply and the restoration of destroyed or damaged sewer system is essential for at least one million inhabitants, about two thirds of the population of the entire Gaza Strip. "As CVG, we are working to ensure that 600,000 people have access to safe drinking water, electricity, fuel necessary for carrying out their daily activities". The organization COOPI (International Cooperation) imposed an intervention program in the Gaza Strip that provides in the first phase, the distribution of drinking water to 4,500 people and the restoration of three wells and connecting water systems to water tanks, in order to allow access to water for domestic use for a population of about 50,000 inhabitants. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 23/09/2014)


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