Israel Matzav

Gaza's only export: Raw sewage

Where is Greenpeace when we need them?

The United Nations' 'Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' is reporting that Gaza has dumped some 60 million liters of raw and partially treated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea since January 24 and guess whom they're blaming.... Uh, huh.

"The sewage discharge is contaminating Gaza seawater and posing health risks for bathers and consumers of seafood. The sewage flows northward to Israeli coasts, including near the Ashkelon desalination plant. Urgent studies are needed to examine the extent of the impact," the report reads.

The report's authors blamed Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip for the Gazans' inability to treat the sewage.

"This sewage cannot be treated due to the lack of a steady electricity supply within the Gaza Strip, Israel's restrictions on fuel imports and prohibitions on the import of materials and necessary spare parts," according to the report.

The UN said Gaza's water authority, the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility, required 14 days of uninterrupted electricity to treat the sewage. The utility provides more than 130 million cubic meters of water per year, according to the report, 80 percent of which ends up as sewage. Moreover, because of the restrictions on imports and exports into and out of the Strip, spare parts needed to repair the sewage treatment plants had not been allowed in.

But the UN report is all a lie: Gaza has a continuous supply of electricity whenever it wants to have it.

But a security source familiar with the situation told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that the vast majority of Gaza's electrical needs were being met by Israel and Egypt.

"Gaza is receiving 141 megawatts a day out of [its normal requirements of] 200 megawatts at this time from Israel and Egypt," the source said.

He also said Hamas should be dealing with the issue. "Hamas is in charge there now and they should find a solution to the problem," he told the Post.

Israel Water Authority spokesman Uri Schor said the problem was not new and that Israel was doing all it could to help Gaza process its sewage.

"The Palestinians have been pumping partially treated or untreated sewage water into the sea for years, and not just since the beginning of this year. The State of Israel assists in various ways to the pumping and water distribution and to the continued operation of the sewage treatment plants. That assistance includes approval to transfer most of equipment the Palestinian Authority has requested - the rest is in the process of being verified - and all the diesel fuel necessary to run the plants," Schor said.

These plants had not been affected by any cutbacks to electricity, he said.

The sewage isn't just flowing into the sea, but into empty lagoons meant to handle runoff from storms, according to the UN. Lagoons in Gaza City and the Jabalya refugee camp have been turned into open cesspools.

Remember this one?

And of course, the UN is blaming Israel for the cesspools too:

Long-term plans to improve the sewage treatment system have been drawn up, but were being held up by Israel, the UN report said.

"KfW, the German government's development bank, has agreed to work with CMWU [the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility] on a project to upgrade the Gaza sewage treatment plant. The project, which will cost between $7 million [and] $15m., could begin by the end of April 2008 if the Israeli authorities allowed the passage of material and equipment. The project will allow the plant to treat 60 million liters of sewage per day [as much as they have dumped in the last three months. CiJ] and use the treated sewage for agricultural purposes or to directly replenish Gaza's depleted fresh water aquifer," according to the report. A plan to build a new plant in northern Gaza is also being held up, according to the UN.

However, Schor said Israel was not holding up those projects but in fact actively aiding them.

"Israel is very much assisting in the approval, funding [$45m.] and in executing a large project to deal with northern Gaza's sewage, despite the continuing situation," he said, "Likewise, the construction of a large treatment plant in central Gaza has also been approved, and Israel is willing to help build two more plants in the southern region of the Strip."

Schor suggested the PA follow Israel's example and use treated sewage water for agriculture in place of potable water.

"Right now, 70% of Israel's sewage is treated and recycled, and the plan is to recycle all of it.

"In the PA, all of the agriculture uses freshwater, and using recycled sewage water would enable the Palestinians to redirect tens of millions of cubic meters of water for household use," he said. Responsible management by the PA would add a respectable amount of expensive freshwater to their supply, he said.

But the 'Palestinians' aren't interested in doing things that states normally do - like treating sewage and re-using it for other purposes. They're only interested in murdering Jews.

UPDATE 7:38 AM

Haaretz adds:

The report prepared by Office of the Coordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) raises concerns that the untreated sewage is carrying Escherichia coli (e. coli) bacteria into the sea which may affect those swimming in its waters.

E. coli bacteria can cause infection in the urinary tract and the digestive system.

The authors of the report also wrote that in areas where the sewage is pumped into the sea, the color of the water is dark brown and a strong odor emanates.

Fishermen in Gaza bay claim the sewage has killed much of the fish in the area.

Officials in the Gaza Strip said there were also concerns that the pumping station in the Zeitun area would not be able to handle the sewage that had accumulated and the treatment pools would overflow.

Haaretz leaves out: The Israeli response in the JPost article posted above. They don't call it Israel's 'Hebrew 'Palestinian' daily' for nothing.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:12 AM