[News] Gaza water crisis: A manufactured catastrophe with devastating consequences

[Anti-Imperialist News]

 Reports <https://english.palinfo.com/category/reports/>
Gaza water crisis: A manufactured catastrophe with devastating consequences

Monday 27-April-2026
<https://english.palinfo.com/reports/2026/04/27/362027/#>
<https://english.palinfo.com/reports/2026/04/27/362027/#>
<https://english.palinfo.com/reports/2026/04/27/362027/#>

GAZA, (PIC)

On the eve of summer in the Gaza Strip, a severe water crisis is
intensifying at an unprecedented level. Widespread destruction of
infrastructure caused by Israeli attacks, combined with a sharp decline in
usable water supplies, has pushed more than two million people toward one
of the most dangerous water security crises in the region.

The crisis is not limited to scarcity and difficulty of access; it extends
to the very quality of the water itself. Even when water is obtained, it is
often unfit for drinking or safe human use.

According to estimates by UNICEF, more than 90 percent of Gaza’s water is
undrinkable due to high salinity and contamination from sewage leakage,
alongside the long-term depletion of the coastal aquifer.

In the aftermath of the war on Gaza, the situation has deteriorated
dramatically. Water networks, pumping stations, and desalination facilities
have suffered direct and indirect damage, reducing the operational capacity
of the water sector to critical levels.

Shocking figures and realities

Assessments by the United Nations Development Program and the World Bank
indicate that Gaza’s infrastructure has experienced widespread collapse,
with a large proportion of water and sanitation facilities either damaged
or destroyed. This has directly affected both the quantity and quality of
available water.

Reports show that individuals in Gaza now receive far less than the minimum
daily water requirement recommended globally, while desalination plants
operate at reduced capacity due to shortages of electricity and fuel.

Before the war, the average daily per capita water consumption stood at
approximately 80 to 85 liters, covering full domestic use. Today, however,
that figure has plummeted to just 3 to 5 liters per day in many areas. Some
estimates indicate that parts of northern Gaza receive only 5.7 liters
daily, while in extreme displacement scenarios, consumption has dropped to
as little as 1.5 to 2 liters per day.

UNICEF data further indicates that 90 percent of Gaza’s population lacks
safe access to drinking water, and that 96 percent of groundwater is unfit
for human consumption due to contamination and salinity. As a result, most
residents rely on unsafe or partially treated water sources.

According to the Palestinian Water Authority, Gaza’s water crisis is no
longer merely a supply shortage, it has become a near-total collapse of
infrastructure, coupled with severe operational dysfunction and a direct
threat to public health and food security.

In effect, water in Gaza has shifted from a basic service to a scarce
emergency resource, subject to harsh operational constraints.

Summer pressure: Rising demand, shrinking supply

As temperatures rise in the summer, water demand naturally increases.
However, this demand collides with extreme scarcity.

Umm Luay, 37, says, “In summer, we need twice as much water, but we barely
have enough to drink. We are forced to buy water at high prices.”

Abu Mohammad, 50, told a local reporter that the water reaching
displacement camps is unreliable, yet remains the only option in the
absence of alternatives.

Many residents resort to purchasing water from mobile tankers or private
desalination stations. These solutions, however, are costly and often
unreliable in quality, placing an additional financial burden on families
already struggling under harsh living conditions.

A growing health crisis

Children are the most vulnerable to the water crisis. The lack of clean
water affects their growth and overall health, increasing the risk of
disease, especially in densely populated areas.

The World Health Organization warns that water contamination, combined with
rising temperatures, contributes to the spread of waterborne diseases,
particularly acute diarrhea and dehydration among children.

Doctors in Gaza report a noticeable increase in gastrointestinal infections
during the summer, largely due to reliance on unsafe or insufficiently
treated water sources.

Amid the ongoing impact of war and rising temperatures, Gaza’s water crisis
has become an immediate and daily threat to life. Between deteriorating
infrastructure and scarce resources, residents face an increasingly dire
reality, where access to clean water is no longer guaranteed, but instead a
daily struggle for survival.
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