Water scarcity and environmental problems in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: Origin, impacts and prospects for solutions

Palestine has been suffering from a severe shortage of water over the last four decades. In addition, water quality has deteriorated to unacceptable levels, when measured against World Health Organisation standards. The problem is the resources are limited and the demand is ever increasing. Over-lapping factors, including political, economic and social issues, are driving this problem. The general environment in the Gaza Strip is in bad condition, also and threatens the already fragile ecosystem as well as the public health. With high population densities, limited natural resources, lack of proper sanitation systems and consequent obvious discharge of raw effluent everywhere, solid waste accumulation and industrial refuse dumped at will, and destruction of infrastructure, environmental conditions have reached dangerous levels. The political situation and absence of environmental regulations exacerbate these environmental problems. As a result, diarrhoea, kidney diseases, fluorosis, cancer, methaemoglobinaemia, and other pollution-related diseases are spread among people in the Gaza Strip. These health problems are escalating because of the ever-increased burden on the fragile environment. Deterioration of environment has reached dangerous levels and an urgent action plan is needed to stop this downward spiral. Within this broad context, this study has aimed to investigate the roots of the water shortage and environmental problems, and possible means to mitigate the worst and most serious effects of it.