UNRWA: Health disaster threatens central Gaza Strip due to accumulation of waste

The United Nations agency UNRWA warned of a health catastrophe threatening the central Gaza Strip due to the accumulation of tons of waste that has begun to surround the tents of displaced people in the region, in light of the leakage of sewage and the spread of intestinal and skin diseases.

Wafa Agency quoted UNRWA spokeswoman Louise Waterridge as saying on Wednesday: “With the decrease in safe spaces in which the displaced can set up their tents and reside in the middle of Gaza Strip, tons of waste and leaking sewage seem to be trapping them in their tents amid the spread of intestinal and skin diseases. The Israeli occupation forces prevent agency employees from accessing waste dumps, while many UNRWA sanitation centers and waste disposal vehicles and trucks have been destroyed.

She noted that high temperature creates more problems as it leads to the spread of pests that increase the spread of diseases, in the light of the loss of some medications that contribute to treating widespread skin and intestinal diseases, in addition to the lack of cleaning and personal hygiene means and tools, in light of the scarcity of water, which exacerbates this crisis.

Last month, UNRWA indicated the presence of more than 330,000 tons of waste accumulated in populated areas throughout Gaza Strip, which poses catastrophic environmental and health risks.

 The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Palestinian Environmental Authority confirmed that the occupation’s continued aggression against Gaza Strip for the 271st  day has turned the Strip into an uninhabitable area, and the comprehensive destruction of its infrastructure and the scarcity of fuel led to the disruption of all wastewater treatment plants and systems, which include six stations, the stopping of 65 pumps, and the destruction of 70 km of sewage networks.

Inas Abdulkareem