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Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Unprecedented water crisis across Gaza heaps more misery on civilians
JERUSALEM: Atop air strikes, displacement and hunger, an unprecedented water crisis is unfolding across Gaza, heaping further misery on the Palestinian territory's residents. Gaza was already suffering a water crisis before nearly 22 months of war between Israel and Hamas damaged more than 80 percent of the territory's water infrastructure. 'Sometimes, I feel like my body is drying from the inside, thirst is stealing all my energy and that of my children,' Um Nidal Abu Nahl, a mother of four living in Gaza City, told AFP. Water trucks sometimes reach residents and NGOs install taps in camps for a lucky few, but it is far from sufficient. Israel connected some water mains in north Gaza to the Israeli water company Mekorot, after cutting off supplies early in the war, but residents told AFP water still wasn't flowing. Local authorities said this was due to war damage to Gaza's water distribution network, with many mains pipes destroyed. Gaza City spokesman Assem Al-Nabih told AFP that the municipality's part of the network supplied by Mekorot had not functioned in nearly two weeks. Wells that supplied some needs before the war have also been damaged, with some contaminated by sewage which goes untreated because of the conflict. Many wells in Gaza are simply not accessible, because they are inside active combat zones, too close to Israeli military installations or in areas subject to evacuation orders. At any rate, wells usually run on electric pumps and energy has been scarce since Israel turned off Gaza's power as part of its war effort. Generators could power the pumps, but hospitals are prioritized for the limited fuel deliveries. Lastly, Gaza's desalination plants are down, save for a single site reopened last week after Israel restored its electricity supply. Nabih, from the Gaza City municipality, told AFP the infrastructure situation was bleak. More than 75 percent of wells are out of service, 85 percent of public works equipment destroyed, 100,000 meters of water mains damaged and 200,000 meters of sewers unusable. Pumping stations are down and 250,000 tons of rubbish is clogging the streets. 'Sewage floods the areas where people live due to the destruction of infrastructure,' says Mohammed Abu Sukhayla from the northern city of Jabalia. In order to find water, hundreds of thousands of people are still trying to extract groundwater directly from wells. But coastal Gaza's aquifer is naturally brackish and far exceeds salinity standards for potable water. In 2021, the UN children's agency UNICEF warned that nearly 100 percent of Gaza's groundwater was unfit for consumption. With clean water nearly impossible to find, some Gazans falsely believe brackish water to be free of bacteria. Aid workers in Gaza have had to warn repeatedly that even if residents can get used to the taste, their kidneys will inevitably suffer. Though Gaza's water crisis has received less media attention than the ongoing hunger one, its effects are just as deadly. 'Just like food, water should never be used for political ends,' UNICEF spokeswoman Rosalia Bollen said. She told AFP that, while it's very difficult to quantify the water shortage, 'there is a severe lack of drinking water.' 'It's extremely hot, diseases are spreading and water is truly the issue we're not talking about enough,' she added. Opportunities to get clean water are as dangerous as they are rare. On July 13, as a crowd had gathered around a water distribution point in Nuseirat refugee camp, at least eight people were killed by an Israeli strike, according to Gaza's civil defense agency. A United Arab Emirates-led project authorized by Israel is expected to bring a 6.7-kilometer pipeline from an Egyptian desalination plant to the coastal area of Al-Mawasi, in Gaza's south. The project is controversial within the humanitarian community, because some see it as a way of justifying the concentration of displaced Palestinians in southern Gaza. On July 24, a committee representing Gaza's prominent families issued a cry for help, calling for 'the immediate provision of water and humanitarian aid, the rapid repair of infrastructure, and a guarantee for the entry of fuel.' Gaza aid workers that AFP spoke to stressed that there was no survival without drinking water, and no disease prevention without sanitation. 'The lack of access, the general deterioration of the situation in an already fragile environment — at the very least, the challenges are multiplying,' a diplomatic source working on these issues told AFP. Mahmoud Deeb, 35, acknowledged that the water he finds in Gaza City is often undrinkable, but his family has no alternative. 'We know it's polluted, but what can we do? I used to go to water distribution points carrying heavy jugs on my back, but even those places were bombed,' he added. At home, everyone is thirsty — a sensation he associated with 'fear and helplessness.' 'You become unable to think or cope with anything.'
Arab News
15 hours ago
- Arab News
Green Qassim initiative plants over 7.5m trees in major afforestation push
RIYADH: The Green Qassim Land Initiative has made a significant leap in afforestation, planting a total of 7,521,316 trees across cities, governorates, and villages during its 15th phase. This effort is part of an integrated plan to enhance vegetation cover, combat desertification, and improve quality of life, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday. Launched in 2016 with support from Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud and oversight by Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli, the initiative has grown steadily each year. Salman Al-Swainah, director general of the ministry's Qassim branch, called it one of the Kingdom's most prominent environmental initiatives due to its tangible results. The initiative runs in two annual phases — March and October — to ensure optimal climatic conditions for tree growth and sustainability, the SPA reported. Al-Swainah highlighted that the initiative's success stems from strong cooperation among government agencies, the private sector, environmental groups, and volunteers, reflecting rising societal awareness of afforestation's importance for ecological balance. Recently, the initiative received regional and international recognition at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goals held at the UN headquarters in New York. This recognition came during a presentation by Saudi Green Building Forum Secretary-General Faisal Al-Fadl at a regional session chaired by the UN Economic and Social Council. Al-Fadl described the initiative as an integrated national model balancing environmental, economic, and social dimensions, according to the SPA. He noted it has become a regional role model, planting millions of trees, creating hundreds of green jobs, and driving sustainable urban transformation. The Green Qassim Land Initiative is a key environmental effort supporting the Kingdom's broader strategy to expand vegetation, combat climate change, and achieve sustainability. It also raises community awareness and promotes environmental volunteering, aligning with the Saudi Green Initiative and Quality of Life programs under Vision 2030. Additionally, the initiative supports goals related to rural employment, clean water, sustainable cities, and responsible consumption and production.
Asharq Al-Awsat
a day ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
KSrelief Masam Project Clears 884 Explosives in Yemen
The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center's (KSrelief) Masam Project for clearing landmines in Yemen has successfully removed 884 explosive devices during the first week of August 2025, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Monday. The cleared munitions included 28 anti-tank mines, two anti-personnel mines, and 854 unexploded ordnance, which were found across various regions of Yemen. Since the launch of the Masam Project, a total of 508,472 mines and explosive remnants have been dismantled. Planted indiscriminately across Yemeni territory, these devices continue to pose a grave threat to innocent civilians—particularly children, women, and the elderly—while instilling fear and disrupting the lives of peaceful communities.
