Palestinians in Gaza suffer from spread of water-borne diseases, says environment authority

RAMALLAH - Sixty-six per cent of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip suffer from spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera, chronic diarrhea, and intestinal diseases, due to the lack of drinkable water and the closure of all water desalination plants as a result of the ongoing Israeli occupation aggression, the enclave’s Environmental Quality Authority (EQA) said.

It said Israeli bombing of sewage lines and causing them to flood, had led to a health and environmental catastrophe, especially the Sheikh Radwan Pool, which has reached a critical level due to the accumulation of rainwater and the leakage of wastewater into it, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.

The EQA in a statement added that the occupation's aggression also resulted in the uprooting of about 50,000 trees and the bulldozing of thousands of acres of agricultural land, nurseries, and home gardens, which leads to increased desertification, loss of biodiversity, deterioration of soil quality, and increased carbon dioxide emissions.

It pointed out that the digital environmental campaign contains data and information about the serious negative impacts on the Palestinian environment.

It said the aggression does not only constitute a humanitarian catastrophe, but also works to destroy the components of the environment. - BERNAMA