RAMALLAH, January 24, 2025 (WAFA) – The Palestinian Water Authority announced today that its teams have been working for the sixth consecutive day to assess the water damage caused by the Israeli aggression in northern Gaza.
The authority stated in a statement that its technical teams have encountered significant difficulties in accessing water and sanitation facilities due to the widespread destruction of residential areas, infrastructure, and roads, particularly during the winter season.
There is also a severe shortage of heavy equipment and fuel to clear debris and open humanitarian corridors for assessment and evaluation efforts, the authority added.
According to the statement, the teams were able to reach the northern Gaza seawater desalination plant and conduct an initial technical assessment of the damage. The assessment revealed severe damage to the electrical and electromechanical components of the plant’s various operational stages and units.
In addition, Israeli occupation forces completely demolished some of the plant’s key components, including five sea water supply wells, the plant’s intake pipeline, two power generators, a pump, a return water line, as well as external fences and output pumps.
The authority emphasized that the primary cause of these damages was the use of the desalination plant by the Israeli army as a military camp, aiming to systematically destroy Gaza’s water sector.
The water authority further explained that this desalination plant is the only one serving the northern Gaza and Wadi Gaza region, providing clean water to the northern western neighborhoods of Gaza City with a production capacity of 10,000 cubic meters per day.
The Palestinian Water Authority stressed that the destruction of the desalination plant worsens the already dire water situation in Gaza, as it is the only safe and reliable source of drinking water for the population.
M.N