Gaza wastewater pool at risk of flooding, municipality warns

The Gaza Municipality has warned of a catastrophic situation in the rainwater collection pool in the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, north of Gaza City, which signals an escalation of the environmental, health and humanitarian crisis in the area, the Palestinian Information Centre reported.

In a statement issued yesterday, the municipality indicated that water levels in the pool have reached a dangerous threshold with the ongoing influx of wastewater, coinciding with the return of displaced persons to the city and expectations of increased rainfall, which threatens to lead to water from the pool overflowing into nearby areas.

The statement noted that the pool is suffering from rising quantities of wastewater, leading to critical water levels that threaten to flood surrounding neighbourhoods and areas, in addition to negatively impacting the aquifer, polluting the environment and spreading diseases.

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Israel’s continued siege of Gaza and its ban on the entry of necessary pipes for maintaining the pool’s drainage line is hindering the discharge of excess water and rerouting of wastewater, and thus exacerbating the problem, the municipality explained.

It was also highlighted that repeated Israeli bombardments have destroyed wastewater treatment stations and electrical generators in the pool, damaging the pumping system, with significant losses in four out of six pumps.

The Gaza Municipality appealed to the international community and relevant organisations for urgent intervention to save the situation in the Sheikh Radwan pool. It called for the facilitation of the entry of pipes, provision of technical and financial support for repairing the damaged infrastructure, and the necessary equipment for operating and maintaining the pool, as well as working to provide a sustainable electricity source to operate the water pumps so that municipal teams can carry out comprehensive maintenance of the pumping system in the pool.

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