My intentions to blog on a daily basis went awry due to me being a tad ill - in fact, I thought I was dying. My ailment - gastritis - has reduced me to a shadow of my former self - I've lost about 10lb in 2 weeks. The prime suspect as source of my woes.......water.
Tap water in Gaza is undrinkable; it is brackish and filled with nitrates. What we call "shekel water" is drinking water bought from the shop over the road - 1 shekel for 1 gallon. It comes originally from private boreholes and has been desalinated and purified. However, shekel water is often contaminated during storage and delivery. In fact, according to GANSO, 70% of samples from the homes of people in Gaza tested positive for bacteria.
Under the circumstances, 70% is not too bad. A UN report from 2009 said that almost 95% of water pumped into Gaza is contaminated and unfit for drinking. The problems of drinking water in Gaza are compounded by the crisis of the waste management system that was severely damaged during Operation Cast Lead. This has resulted in seepage of serious pollutants into the ground-water.
The Palestinian Water Authority says that almost 40% of the incidence of disease in Gaza is related to polluted drinking water. Needless to say, children, the sick and the elderly are particularly susceptible - an estimated 12% of children's deaths in Gaza are the result of contaminated water. The lack of potable water has other serious effects on children's health - including on physical and cognitive development - and can lead to malnutrition.
Since the closure (aka the siege or blockade) of Gaza in 2007 by Israel, equipment and materials needed to restore the water and waste-water treatment systems have been banned from entry. In 2009, the UN Environment Programme called for, amongst other actions, Israel to immediately allow the entry of materials and equipment needed to rehabilitate and develop the water and waste-water treatment systems. That was then. The people of Gaza are still waiting.
Luckily for me, PCHR organised for a private doctor to call. Lucky to get such particular attention, as the UNRWA doctors who practice in the refugee camps here each see an average of 103 patients a day- I am aware of my privilege. Happily, I'm now on antibiotics and expect to make a speedy recovery. No more unboiled shekel water for me.
In the meantime, I've lots to think about. Who'd have thought that a bout of gastritis could be a political issue? But then, everything in Gaza is political.
Tap water in Gaza is undrinkable; it is brackish and filled with nitrates. What we call "shekel water" is drinking water bought from the shop over the road - 1 shekel for 1 gallon. It comes originally from private boreholes and has been desalinated and purified. However, shekel water is often contaminated during storage and delivery. In fact, according to GANSO, 70% of samples from the homes of people in Gaza tested positive for bacteria.
Under the circumstances, 70% is not too bad. A UN report from 2009 said that almost 95% of water pumped into Gaza is contaminated and unfit for drinking. The problems of drinking water in Gaza are compounded by the crisis of the waste management system that was severely damaged during Operation Cast Lead. This has resulted in seepage of serious pollutants into the ground-water.
The Palestinian Water Authority says that almost 40% of the incidence of disease in Gaza is related to polluted drinking water. Needless to say, children, the sick and the elderly are particularly susceptible - an estimated 12% of children's deaths in Gaza are the result of contaminated water. The lack of potable water has other serious effects on children's health - including on physical and cognitive development - and can lead to malnutrition.
Since the closure (aka the siege or blockade) of Gaza in 2007 by Israel, equipment and materials needed to restore the water and waste-water treatment systems have been banned from entry. In 2009, the UN Environment Programme called for, amongst other actions, Israel to immediately allow the entry of materials and equipment needed to rehabilitate and develop the water and waste-water treatment systems. That was then. The people of Gaza are still waiting.
Luckily for me, PCHR organised for a private doctor to call. Lucky to get such particular attention, as the UNRWA doctors who practice in the refugee camps here each see an average of 103 patients a day- I am aware of my privilege. Happily, I'm now on antibiotics and expect to make a speedy recovery. No more unboiled shekel water for me.
In the meantime, I've lots to think about. Who'd have thought that a bout of gastritis could be a political issue? But then, everything in Gaza is political.
Oh dear, I suppose being ill is one of those things that goes with being in a foreign climes.
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better. xxxx