Gaza in dire water shortage due to high groundwater deficit: official

Water from underground aquifers in the Gaza Strip suffers a deficit of over 100 million cubic meters (mcm) a year amid extremely high pollution levels, the Palestinian Water Authority said here Sunday.

Yasser Shanti, head of Water Authority in Gaza, said in a press conference that the coastal strip requires 200 mcm annually, with agricultural water consumption estimated at nearly 90 mcm, while domestic and industrial water consumption estimated at around 110 mcm.

Shanti said that the groundwater in Gaza has declined to an unprecedented low, and the groundwater levels decreased to 15 meters below sea level, which threatens to escalate the water crisis in Gaza.

He warned of the possible consequences of the qualitative and quantitative water shortage in Gaza Strip that relies on the groundwater as a main source of water supply, which, in turn, depends on rainfall.

Shanti said that 85 percent of the well waters dedicated for domestic use suffers a higher rate of Chloride and Nitrate than what is deemed acceptable by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

A report by the United Nations issued last year said the Gaza Strip, which is home to 1.9 million people, would be inhabitable by 2020, if things do not change.

According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, over 95 percent of water in the Gaza Strip do not meet the WHO criteria for drinking, and individual share in the Gaza Strip is 89.5 liter per day, less than 100 litre per day recommended by the WHO as the minimum share. Endit