Emergency WASH assistance still urgently needed in the short-term despite significant funding to infrastructural repairs

Despite progress in network repairs, the delivery of water and sanitation services remains dependent on consistent fuel / energy supplies, and the risk of flooding over the winter season has increased significantly.

The extensive Israeli aerial bombardment, naval shelling and artillery fire during the last round of hostilities had devastating results on public infrastructure, including water and sanitation. The Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU), which is the main provider of water and sanitation services, estimates that between 70 and 80 per cent of the network is now functional following emergency repairs carried out during and since the ceasefire. The remaining 20-30 per cent of the network that remains inoperable is concentrated in the worst-hit areas, primarily within the three-kilometre-wide buffer zone declared by Israel during the hostilities.

Despite progress achieved in network repairs, damage to key segments of the network has further impaired water and sanitation services delivered via an already inadequate system. Damage sustained by a number of key water storage facilities and pumping stations has reduced the level of water pressure and delivery in many areas and will take months to repair. Longer power outages due to limited operations by the Gaza power plant (GPP) have made service provision increasingly dependent on fuel-powered generators run by facilities. They are vulnerable to fuel shortages, primarily due to funding gaps. With current fuel needs for water and wastewater infrastructure guaranteed only until the end of October, there is an urgent need to ensure continued fuel delivery and a longer-term plan for energy provision in the Gaza Strip.

Damage, coupled with ongoing energy challenges, has significantly increased food risks over the winter season. Reduced storm and wastewater pumping capacities, plus drainage channels blocked with rubble in the hardest hit areas, have reduced the capacity of service providers and increased the areas at risk, within a context where service providers are restricted in addressing the underlying causes and remain ill-equipped to respond to foods.

Water and sanitation services in the Gaza Strip were already at a critical level prior to the recent war. The Gaza Strip relies on the underlying Coastal Aquifer as its only water source. Systematic over-extraction during recent decades has resulted in the intrusion of seawater and the emergence of the underlying saline water. As a result, the CMWU estimates that over 90% of households rely on the purchase of desalinated water from private vendors and tankers for drinking and cooking purposes.

The response provided by WASH cluster partners to date has focused on three main components. The frst is emergency activities to re-establish network services, including the repair of pipelines and the provision of spare parts, equipment and fuel. This is carried out primarily by CMWU with funding provided by a range of actors, including the World Bank, KfW, the International Committee of the Red Cross, UNICEF and Save the Children. The number of beneficiaries of these activities is difficult to establish.

The second component entails ensuring access to domestic and potable water for persons afected by damage to the network and to internally displaced persons (IDPs). Activities ongoing in September targeted over 400,000 people in need.

The third component entails access to hygiene items for IDPs and vulnerable populations. Activities ongoing in September targeted over 70,000 people.

With the stabilization of the situation, an action planning workshop was held in Gaza on 1 October to identify a coordinated response by the relevant WASH stakeholders and the main shelter actors. Several key issues and potential solutions were highlighted with regard to coordination at field level between municipal, WASH and Shelter actors, and regional authorities.

The main challenges identified by the workshop participants for the coming months were:

• Ensuring sufficient fuel / energy to operate water and wastewater facilities.
• Continued provision of emergency WASH assistance to the most affected communities and families.
• Preparation to mitigate and respond to a significantly increased risk of flooding over the winter season.
• Formulation of a clear reconstruction strategy and phased response plan, including durable solutions.

* This section was contributed by UNICEF