UNITED NATIONS, Jan 13 (KUNA) — John Ging, UNRWA’s Director of Operations in Gaza, on Tuesday warned of a public health, such as cholera, and an ecological disasters because of the lack of water and electicity in Gaza.
Ging told reporters via video link from Gaza that there is “very real concern in the medical community in Gaza for a public health outbreak of some sort, cholera, or whatever, because of the water shortage”.
He noted that 500,000 Gazans have not had water for over a week, mainly in gaza city, and there is no prospect of repairing the water infrasture because of the fighting and the short lull provided by Israel.
“We know where the damage is. We know what needs to be done, but the three-hour widonw is not sufficient to actually conduct the repairs,” he said.
“We are very, very worried that half a million people have no running water whatsoever in their homes,” he stressed.
Besides, he added, the sewage system is collapsing and because of the fighting, it is not possible to repair it either.
“There is also concern that the treatment of sewage is not going on as it should, which means that … millions of liters continue to be pumped out untreated into the sea and that has ecological impact, not just for Gaza but also elsewhere in the Mediterranean,” he added.
The power plant, he noted, is working partially, because of the lack of fuel, and is now producing 40 percent of its capacity in electricity, which is a relief for the hospitals.
He described the ambulance drivers as the “real heroes” in Gaza.
He also noted that despite the “marked improvement” in the coordination with the Israeli side and in turn with the Israeli soldiers on the ground vis a vis human corridors, whether for ambulances or trucks, sometimes they come under Israeli fire.
“We are experincing effective coordination on those convoys when they are moving through Israeli lines. That does not preclude the possibility of there being an outbreak of hostilities,” he said, adding that his convoy today came under fire although it was clearly marked as UN convoy.