AI Brief
- Gaza's water, sanitation, and hygiene systems are nearly non-functional, with all five wastewater treatment plants shut down due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
- Explosive weapons have created about 39 million tons of debris, leaving more than 107 kilograms (236 lbs) per square meter in Gaza, surpassing the debris from the 2017 battle for Mosul, Iraq.
- The conflict has reversed progress in Gaza's water and solar infrastructure, with significant environmental damage, including pollution risks from broken solar panels and the extensive need for ground pollution assessments.
Water, sanitation, and hygiene systems are now almost entirely defunct, the report found, with Gaza's five wastewater treatment plants shut down.
The war between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls the Gaza Strip, has swiftly reversed limited progress in improving the region's water desalination and wastewater treatment facilities, restoring the Wadi Gaza coastal wetland, and investments in solar power installations, according to a preliminary assessment from the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).
Explosive weapons have generated some 39 million tons of debris, the report said. Each square metre of the Gaza Strip is now littered with more than 107 kilograms (236 lbs) of debris. That is more than five times the debris generated during the battle for Mosul, Iraq, in 2017, the report said.
Gaza's environment was already suffering from recurring conflicts, rapid urban growth, and high population density, before the most recent conflict began on Oct. 7.
Israel's long-term occupation had already posed major environmental challenges in the Palestinian territories with regards to water quality and availability, according to a 2020 report by the U.N. Development Programme.
The U.N. assessment stems from a December 2023 request from the Palestinian Environment Quality Authority for UNEP to take stock of environmental damages. UNEP is mandated to assist countries with pollution mitigation and control in areas affected by armed conflict or terrorism.
Due to security concerns and access restrictions, the U.N. used remote sensing surveys and data from Palestinian technical entities, as well as damage assessments from the World Bank, in their report. Ground measurements, however, would be critical to understand the extent of soil and water pollution, Darbyshire said.
The Gaza Strip had one of the highest densities of rooftop solar panels in the world, with the US-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies estimating in 2023 some 12,400 rooftop solar systems. But Israel has since destroyed a large proportion of Gaza's burgeoning solar infrastructure, and broken panels can leak lead and heavy metal contaminants into the soil.
