Geneva, MINA – The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday voiced concern over the deteriorating water quality, water contamination and ensuing disease risks in the genocide-stricken Gaza Strip ahead of the upcoming winter.
Quoted from WAFA, addressing a hybrid press briefing from Gaza, Reinhilde Van De Weerdt, WHO Representative in the occupied Palestinian territories, stated: “Water quality and water contamination remained a major issue: between January and August this year, over 6,700 water samples had been tested, and microbiological contamination almost tripled, from under six percent in January to over 18 percent in August.”
She noted that “there had been a significant increase in cases of Acute Watery Diarrhea over the same period, when cases nearly doubled. Sewage, waste, and contaminated water would not stay where they were, they would spread into the very spaces where people sleep, cook, and care for their children, furthering the risk and spread of waterborne diseases.”
She warned that standing water would give pests and mosquitoes more places to breed, while damp, flooded tents will become breeding grounds for mold and bacteria, which was a major driver of respiratory infections, especially in young children.
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“What was urgently needed was more permanent shelter, sustainable provision of water – both in quantity and quality, and waste management,” she said. []
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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