The environmental suffering of the Gaza Strip is exacerbated by the war

Weather of Arabia - The outbreak of the conflict between Hamas and Israel on October 7th in the State of Palestine has raised increasing concern in various economic, environmental and political fields, and the possibility of incurring damages and negative impacts at the national and international levels.

The impacts resulting from this conflict are expected to be widespread, especially in environmental issues, which could be catastrophic and likely to result in unexpected challenges.

The Gaza war has major negative impacts on the environment

In this context, environmental expert Nadi Mahmoud, a researcher in the fields of climate change and the environment and affiliated with the University of Bonn in Germany, confirmed that the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip contributes greatly to the worsening of living conditions. This aggravation is a result of the destruction of infrastructure and the disruption of basic services, which significantly reduces the population's ability to cope with the effects of climate change.

Environmental expert Nadi Mahmoud pointed out that the Gaza Strip is considered a prominent example of a response to a complex crisis characterized by humanitarian, environmental, health, and climate dimensions. This is due to the repeated wars that the sector has witnessed in recent years.

The expert in the fields of climate change and the environment denied the reasons that lead to the aggravation of the climate change crisis as a result of the continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. He explained that the missiles used release greenhouse gases and chemicals such as alumina, which contributes to polluting the stratosphere, and in the long run, this may lead to the accumulation of these pollutants and may even cause damage to the ozone layer.

He also pointed out that the continuous bombing of the Gaza Strip resulted in a thick accumulation of dust in the air, and this not only constitutes a threat to public health, but will also affect agricultural crops and water bodies.

Waste accumulation in Gaza

He based his speech on information from the United Nations Environment Program for the year 2020, which indicated that 47% of all waste, including hazardous waste, is disposed of in unsanitary waste sites. The program stressed that ignoring waste management issues could cause serious environmental risks and a negative impact on the health of Palestinians.

The environmental expert explained that the Israeli blockade prevents the development of infrastructure and the provision of water and electrical energy, which leads to the accumulation of solid waste in Palestine. PENGON-FoE Palestine reported that about 40 million cubic meters of wastewater is discharged by settlements into Palestinian valleys and agricultural lands annually.

He pointed out that not managing wastewater well causes health problems related to direct exposure to polluted water and pollution of the surrounding environment.

The rate of marine pollution reached 85% in Gaza

Environmental expert Nadi Mahmoud confirmed that Israel's targeting of sewage centers and wastewater treatment plants forced Gaza's municipalities to discharge untreated wastewater directly into the sea. This resulted in a noticeable increase in marine pollution, with the pollution rate reaching 85%.

In a report issued by UNRWA on October 17, the organization emphasized the importance of the water issue, noting that water shortages constitute a major challenge as it causes human deaths as a result of water shortages. Fears of the spread of drought and waterborne diseases have increased due to the collapse of water and sanitation services, including the closure of the last seawater desalination plant that was operating in the Gaza Strip.

The environmental suffering of the Gaza Strip is worsening

Environmental expert Nadi Mahmoud confirms that the Gaza Strip's environmental suffering has been monitored since 2017, based on an Oxfam report. The report indicated that the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip significantly limits the entry of necessary materials, making it very difficult to develop drinking water and sanitation infrastructure to meet the needs of the growing population.

The Gaza Strip suffers from many environmental problems, as since 2019 it has been facing a deterioration in the quality of groundwater, with 96% of it becoming “unfit for human consumption,” and it has a very limited number of residents (only ten residents) who have access to drinking water. The righteous. According to the UNICEF report, there are 1.8 million people in the Strip, half of them children, who need “humanitarian assistance in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene.”

Source: al-ain