The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority stated that more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and assets have been completely or partially out of service due to the repercussions of the Israeli occupation's aggression on the Gaza Strip.

A statement issued by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) and the Water Authority on Wednesday, on the occasion of World Water Day, explained that initial damage assessments, as of the ceasefire date, showed that more than 85% of water and sanitation facilities and assets were completely or partially out of service and required rehabilitation, exceeding $1.5 billion, only for areas where damage was identified. This includes wastewater treatment plants, desalination plants, pumping stations, wells, water reservoirs, main transmission lines, water, sanitation and stormwater drainage networks, and water control laboratories.

The statement pointed out that the occupation's aggression has undermined all efforts made by the Palestinian government, with investments exceeding one billion dollars over many years, to avert the catastrophe that threatened Gaza due to the salinity and pollution of 97% of the groundwater reservoir, the only water source there.

He pointed out that the per capita water share in Gaza does not exceed half the estimated minimum humanitarian requirement in emergency situations, which is 15 liters per person per day.

The statement continued: "Due to the extensive damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector, water supply rates have declined to an average of 3-5 liters per person per day, with significant variations depending on geographic location, water supply, infrastructure damage, and ongoing displacement."

He added: "This percentage is less than the minimum required for survival in emergency situations, according to World Health Organization indicators, which is estimated at 15 liters per person per day."

This is mainly due to the damage to the infrastructure, the complete power outage necessary for pumping water from wells, and the operation of related water facilities such as reservoirs and pumping stations, and the restrictions imposed on the provision of fuel and materials necessary for their operation. The available water resources in the Gaza Strip are suffering enormous losses, and water quantities have decreased to an average of 35% of what they were before the aggression.

The statement added that the Gaza Strip relies on three main sources of water, and estimates indicate that, as a result of the current aggression, the supply through these sources has decreased to approximately 10-20% of what it was before the aggression. Then, with the start of urgent interventions, the rate rose relatively to reach approximately 35% of what it was before the aggression. These sources include:

Groundwater: There are 300 wells distributed throughout the Gaza Strip (290 municipal wells and 10 UNRWA wells), with a total supply of 262,000 m3/day for all uses, most of which sustained severe damage. As a result of interventions undertaken by the Water Authority, in cooperation with service providers during the aggression, the amount of water produced from these wells reached approximately 93,000 m3/day.

- The three limited-capacity desalination plants (central, northern, and southern): Throughout the aggression, the northern plant completely stopped operating due to the extensive damage it sustained, and the occupation forces deliberately converted it into a military barracks. Meanwhile, the central plant operated at a production capacity not exceeding 30% of its pre-aggression capacity due to some damage, in addition to the scarcity of fuel needed to operate the generators, and the unavailability of spare parts for maintenance. As for the southern plant, until mid-November 2024, it was operating at a total production capacity estimated at only 20% of its total capacity, subject to fuel availability. Later, it began operating at a production capacity of approximately 70% of its capacity, after the power line supplying the plant was connected.

-Water purchased from Mekorot (through three connections supplied in the north, center, and south): The amount of water supplied through these connections before the aggression reached 52,000 m3/day, equivalent to 52% of the potable water.

The occupation completely shut down the three connections at the beginning of the aggression. After they were reopened, the Water Authority crews and its partners began the necessary maintenance work on the main and subsidiary lines of these connections, and followed up and inspected the pumping work from them, and expanded it to new populated areas. As of the date of the ceasefire, as a result of these interventions, a total of 40,000 m3/day was supplied, knowing that this quantity decreased later due to a malfunction in the feeder line from the Bin Saeed connection that feeds the central governorate, and the delay in obtaining coordination to carry out the necessary maintenance.

As for water networks, approximately 2,263 kilometers were destroyed, of which 1,622 kilometers were completely destroyed and 9 kilometers were partially destroyed. Unfortunately, with water scarcity to meet basic needs, addressing agricultural needs has been postponed, despite its significant link to food insecurity in the Gaza Strip.

Damage to the sewage system poses significant risks to life, health, and the environment.

The Central Bureau of Statistics and the Water Authority stated that wastewater services in the Gaza Strip were advanced before the aggression, as the existing wastewater system includes integrated facilities and infrastructure (from collection and pumping to transportation and treatment). The system covers approximately 73% of the Gaza Strip's population with an infrastructure that includes a network of various diameters estimated in length at approximately 2,250 km, 79 pumping stations, and 29 rainwater collection basins connected to eight rainwater pumping stations, in addition to five wastewater treatment plants with a design capacity of up to 154,600 m3 per day. Until the ceasefire, all wastewater plants were out of operation due to the extensive damage they sustained, which still requires a detailed assessment without access due to the security situation.

The networks were severely damaged, with 1,545 kilometers completely destroyed and 8.6 kilometers partially destroyed. Forty-seven sewage pumping stations were also destroyed, including 20 completely destroyed and 27 partially damaged. This destruction led to the flow of wastewater into streets and residential neighborhoods, posing a significant threat to health and the environment.

The amount of water available to Palestinians from groundwater resources remains unchanged despite population growth and increased development requirements.

Palestine relies primarily on water extracted from groundwater resources, which account for 73.1% of the total available water, amounting to 399.7 million m3 (the total groundwater extracted is 289.63, of which 135.1 million m3 is in the West Bank, while in the Gaza Strip 154.53 million m3 is extracted, of which 97% is considered unfit for human use).

In the West Bank, the amount of water pumped from groundwater wells (the Eastern, Western, and Northeastern basins) in 2023 amounted to approximately 106 million cubic meters. The reason for the fluctuation in the quantities pumped from the wells (increasing or decreasing by small amounts annually) is due to the obstacles placed by the occupation authorities in the way of drilling and rehabilitating wells. This is the same reason for the decrease in the quantities pumped from the springs, in addition to the increase in control operations and settler crimes in illegally annexing these springs.

The main reason for the weak use of surface water is the occupation's control over the Jordan River and its inability to exploit more than 165 million m3 of rainwater annually. This is achieved by preventing Palestinians from building dams and ponds to collect rainwater. The total amount of surface water exploited does not exceed 4 million m3 from the Al-Auja, Al-Far'a, Beit Al-Rush, Bani Al-Na'im, Marj Sanur, Araba Lake, and some small ponds.

The destruction of infrastructure during ongoing incursions into the West Bank exacerbates the already difficult water situation in the West Bank.

The statement noted that due to the continued and repeated incursions into the West Bank, particularly into the camps of Jenin and Tulkarm governorates, there are no statistical figures on the extent of the damage incurred by the water and sanitation sector to date, especially with the repeated systematic destruction of infrastructure and its rehabilitation by local authorities. According to reports by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the aggression on the Jenin, Tulkarm, Nur Shams and Far'a camps resulted in the large-scale forced displacement of approximately 40,000 people, the majority of whom, according to reports issued by local community institutions and local authorities of the host communities, are in need of adequate water sources.

39% of the water available in the West Bank is purchased from Israeli water companies, representing approximately 60% of the water supplied for domestic use.

The occupation's measures have limited citizens' ability to exploit their natural resources, particularly water, forcing them to compensate for the shortage by purchasing water from Israeli water companies. The total amount of water purchased for domestic use in 2023 reached 102.1 million cubic meters in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip, representing 25% of the available water supply.

In the West Bank, the amount of water purchased from Israel amounted to 85.9 million cubic meters, equivalent to 39% of the available water quantities and representing approximately 60% of the water supplied for domestic use.

It should be noted that the increased reliance on purchasing water from Israel in itself poses significant challenges for the Palestinian government, given Israel's control over water prices and quantities, especially during the summer. It also represents an Israeli approach to undermining the prospects for a two-state solution by denying Palestinians sovereignty over natural resources.

Data for 2023 indicate a slight increase in the daily per capita water share compared to previous years, reaching 88 liters per capita per day in the West Bank. This share is still below the internationally recommended rate (120 liters per capita per day), with consumption quantities reaching 95.5 million m3. Note that this quantity was supplied for non-agricultural purposes, and includes water supplied for commercial and industrial purposes.

Therefore, the actual per capita supply and consumption are lower than the stated amounts. Comparing consumption in Palestine with per capita Israeli consumption, we note that the Israeli per capita consumption rate is three times that of the Palestinian per capita, and doubles compared to the settlers' share, or even if non-agricultural uses are taken into account.

Household uses are the largest consumer, and the loss rate exceeds 30%.

According to water data for 2023, domestic water supply accounted for up to 61% of the total available water. Indicators for 2023 also showed that water loss in the West Bank remains high, at more than 35%, due to the deterioration of networks and encroachments on water lines and networks by citizens. Statistics showed variations in the percentage of loss between governorates, with the highest percentage in Hebron Governorate and the lowest in Salfit Governorate.

The variation in prices and available quantities between governorates depends on the availability of resources and the ability of these resources to meet the needs of their populations.

The disparity in water quantities and prices experienced by citizens across governorates is due to differences in the availability of natural water resources and the extent to which these resources can meet the needs of the population, given the population density in each governorate.

While some governorates, such as Jericho, the Jordan Valley, and Tulkarm, have abundant local water resources, the governorates of Hebron, Bethlehem, and Ramallah and Al-Bireh rely on water purchased from Israel to fill their water supply deficit. The cost of producing water from local sources varies according to the cost of production.

The cost of water supplied from local sources is also lower than the cost of water purchased from Israeli water companies, which also creates disparities in water prices between governorates. The purchase and production price of a cubic meter of supplied water is an average of 3.2 shekels per cubic meter, and it is sold to local authorities at an average of 2.4 shekels per cubic meter; that is, with government support of up to 0.8 shekels per cubic meter.

It's worth noting that achieving fair distribution among population centers in the governorates is one of the main challenges facing the State of Palestine as a result of the policies of the Israeli occupation and its control over Palestinian territories. This limits the possibility of developing an integrated water system at the national level that ensures fair management and distribution of water resources. It's also worth noting, in this context, that the government faces the challenge of rising debt on local authorities, which, by the end of 2024, amounted to more than $1.8 billion.