Subscribe to Print Edition | Mon., June 16, 2008 Sivan 13, 5768 | | Israel Time: 06:33 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Car Rental
Books Peres Conference Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Last update - 16:19 02/05/2008
Gaza sewage pumped into the sea over past three months
By Akiva Eldar, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Gaza Strip, sewage 

Millions of liters of sewage have been released over the past three months into the Mediterranean Sea from the Gaza Strip, according to a new United Nations report.

According to the report, an estimated 50-60 million liters of waste per day have been pumped into the sea. This was done in an effort to prevent an overflow of sewage in residential areas.

Normally, the sewage is pumped to prearranged sites for treatment, but the shortage of fuel in the Gaza Strip has caused disruptions in the supply of electricity. These shortages, lack of sufficient quantities of chemicals necessary for treating sewage, and spare parts, has led the Gaza officials to pump the waste into the sea.
Advertisement
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.

The treatment plant requires constant electrical supply, and the OCHA report calls on Israel to lift its restrictions on fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip.

OCHA says that unless electricity can run continuously it is impossible to make regular use of the sanitation equipment in the Strip.

The UN is also calling on Israel to allow the transfer of materials and spare parts that are necessary to upgrade the sewage system, and which would allow the construction of three modern sewage treatment stations in the Strip.

Related articles:
  • Flood of sewage in Gaza Strip village kills at least five people
  • Environment Ministry: Mediterranean Sea pollution 'drops considerably'
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    Snoop Dogg in Israel
    American rapper Snoop Dogg slated to perform in Ramat Gan.
    Late date
    Scientists revive 2,000-year-old date seed found at Masada.
      1.   SELL THEM SOME DARN FUEL 03:17  |  newsreader 02/05/08
      2.   Hit The Books Hard Hamas & Learn How To Create A State 03:58  |  Lavi 02/05/08
      3.   Time to help our enemies before they poison us with their hate. 04:35  |  Michael J 02/05/08
      4.   The Necessary Materials 06:09  |  Archie Bunker 02/05/08
      5.   Does Hamas really care? 07:04  |  Ricardo 02/05/08
      6.   Let`s have a contest! 07:09  |  Colin Wright 02/05/08
      7.   Have you seen... 07:33  |  Maureen Ann 02/05/08
      8.   Brit`s, EU and Arabs pollute 07:51  |  Binyamin Dissen 02/05/08
      9.   #2, LAVI the laughable 08:24  |  VIPER 02/05/08
      10.   Sewage Pipes Used For Rockets 08:25  |  Phil 02/05/08
      11.   Hamas stole the fuel forcinly 08:25  |  Yonatan 02/05/08
      12.   #4,ARCHIE BUNKER, here`s a thought 08:28  |  VIPER 02/05/08
      13.   Fails to mention it flows directly up te coast to Tel Aviv 08:41  |  Ian 02/05/08
      14.   Egypt should supply the fuel 08:54  |  Dror 02/05/08
      15.   Let Them Eat Their Waste 09:34  |  Yishai Kohen 02/05/08
      16.   Gaza goldfish washed up on the beach at Tel Aviv 10:14  |  Clickfool 02/05/08
      17.   VIPER #9 10:52  |  S 02/05/08
      18.   Ian #13 You are absolutely correct. Unfortunately. 10:56  |  S 02/05/08
      19.   Terrorist Animals Living In Filth 11:07  |  Yossi 02/05/08
      20.   #15 Yishai Kohen.#2 Lavi and #17 S. 11:24  |  Maureen Ann 02/05/08
      21.   For Yossi # 19 11:30  |  Clickfool 02/05/08
      22.   Ian (# 13) has got it absolutely right, I really wonder...... 11:39  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/05/08
      23.   This problem is not new .... 11:43  |  Elihu 02/05/08
      24.   A pollution warning should be issued to all tourists to Israel 12:04  |  Fairplay 02/05/08
      25.   What about the 60,000 litres of fuel that Hamas expropriated 12:08  |  Michael 02/05/08
      26.   Filthy palestinian habit of polluting the environment 12:16  |  Johnny 02/05/08
      27.   They`re drowning in their own effluent 12:24  |  x-ray 02/05/08
      28.   #27 12:39  |  Hj 02/05/08
      29.   Maureen Ann #20 12:40  |  S 02/05/08
      30.   Maureen Ann: They Use Their Sewage Pipes For Qassams 12:43  |  Yishai Kohen 02/05/08
      31.   Fuel expropriation unavoidable 13:18  |  Joihn Syracuse 02/05/08
      32.   Sewage pipes can also be made of concrete or hard plastic 13:24  |  AliciaYasmeen 02/05/08
      33.   Five Gazans already killed by sewage 13:25  |  x-ray 02/05/08
      34.   #17, S, do you really expect logic here? 13:32  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/05/08
      35.   Difficult decision for the Palestinians 14:04  |  Clickfool 02/05/08
      36.   Dino: why should a hudna change Hamas`s attitude to its own? 14:16  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/05/08
      37.   #32 14:18  |  DR 02/05/08
      38.   Build another fence to protect the sea from islamic terrorists! 14:49  |  Protected Civilian 02/05/08
      39.   #36, Margie 14:58  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 02/05/08
      40.   SWISS DINO: facts of life 15:00  |  AliciaYasmeen 02/05/08
      41.   Water flows south and then west along coast 15:02  |  Prof. Chris T. 02/05/08
      42.   Build a state already! 15:04  |  Ex-pal lover 02/05/08
      43.   GAZA SEWAGE FLOWING IN TO THE SEA? 15:08  |  hafiz 02/05/08
      44.   SWISS DINO: facts of life - 2 15:12  |  AliciaYasmeen 02/05/08
      45.   # 36 Margie in Tel Aviv 15:14  |  Swiss (Dino) 02/05/08
      46.   Gaza sewage and Shkelon water 15:17  |  Tosefta 02/05/08
      47.   the problem is obvious to me 15:25  |  TAZ 02/05/08
      48.   dutch,durson,Silvienne will willingly clean GAZA from GARBAGE 15:27  |  Vittorio 02/05/08
      49.   Actually FILTHY HAMASTAN should live in FILTH. 15:30  |  Vittorio 02/05/08
      50.   Pal`s too good at playing the victim 15:31  |  B`Galil 02/05/08
      51.   Is HAMAS using sewage pipes for making QASSAMS? 15:32  |  Vittorio 02/05/08
      52.   BEFORE 1967 15:34  |  soggy liberal 02/05/08
      53.   Will IDF confiscate the sewage 15:57  |  historian 02/05/08
      54.   It is intentional - they have electricity. Just being poisonous 15:59  |  17 02/05/08
      55.   #12 Archie, We would have hepled to build or build it 16:04  |  Haham me Bat Yam 02/05/08
      56.   What about Psychic Sewage? 16:05  |  B 02/05/08
      57.   Gaza sewage and Ashkelon water 16:16  |  Tosefta 02/05/08
      58.   Pump the Sewage Into Israel 16:22  |  archmangle 02/05/08
      59.   Dino you`re only learning of part of the problem here 16:29  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/05/08
      60.   To x-ray, #27: No, Israel is drowning in Gazan Effluent. 16:30  |  archmangle 02/05/08
      61.   but yet no call for an end to kassams? thanks UN! 16:36  |  don 02/05/08
      62.   #13 Ian 16:41  |  Michael 02/05/08
      63.   Newsreader Needs to Think 16:44  |  Tex 02/05/08
      64.   Re: #35 Difficult decision 16:46  |  Michael 02/05/08
      65.   Arabs apper to enjoy living in their own crap 16:57  |  ottomatik 02/05/08
      66.   the stolen land has its sewage too. Any settler volunteer 17:16  |  tell-it-as-it-is 02/05/08
      67.   I hope the sewage flows towards Israel 17:27  |  John 02/05/08
      68.   Where`s the WHO Smoking Red Head? 17:37  |  Magnify 02/05/08
      69.   Dino 17:48  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 02/05/08
      70.   #40 - Swiss(Dino) - Do Your Eyes See In Only One Direction? 18:16  |  JP 02/05/08
      71.   Israel dump the garbage in Palestine! 18:21  |  Dav 02/05/08
      72.