The north Gaza district, including Beit Lahia, remains under serious threat of a new environmental disaster.
Last week, a flood of sewage water occurred when the embankment of a sewage basin broke and caused a flood killing five people and destroying many homes in the Bedouin Village, north of Beit Lahia.
As a result, the pumping of sewage to the Treatment Plant in north Gaza was suspended, causing a serious increase in the level of sewage water in Al Jura area in the south of Jabalia.
At app.
11pm on 30 March 2007, one pump was cut off, causing raw sewage water to leak through manholes along the sewage network and to drain back, flowing into peoples homes, in the populated, low-level Al Jura area where 30 families reside.
Sewage water overflowed into houses before inhabitants could be evacuated by the Civil Defense.
According to Al Mezan's field investigations, the flood caused partial damage to 25 houses.
The quick reaction of the Civil Defense has prevented human losses and no casualties were reported.
UNRWA provided accommodations to 20 families in a temporary camp established in Jabalia Services Club.
Al Mezan reported that Al Jura area remains under similar threat unless the authorities submit proper solution to clear sewage water.
Based on Al Mezan field investigation, the authorities ordered the suspension of the pumping of sewage and storm rain water from Abu Rashed pool, which is located in central Jabalia refugee camp, to the northern basins in North Gaza Treatment Plant following the flood in the Bedouin village.
This is due to the fact that the Treatment Plant lacks the capacity to absorb water after the accident and their thus remain fears of further potential flooding of the sewage water.
However, the suspension of the water pump that took the sewage water from Abu Rashed basin has resulted in the level of water exceeding capacity at the Abu Rashed basin.
It was this action that caused sewage to leak through the network and flood homes in Al Jura.
This may cause serious threat to the population's health and their environment.
The authorities must take immediate steps to avoid a standing disaster.
Transfer of sewage water from North Gaza Treatment Plant to the new treatment plant in eastern Jabalia has become a vital issue.
Al Mezan expresses its deep sorrow over the loss of life in the Bedouin Village, and of property in the Village and Al Jura area.
It calls upon the PNA and the international community to provide immediate solutions to prevent the risk against peoples' life and wellbeing.
Such solutions should lay the ground for long-term, permanent solutions for the environmental and public health risks that north Gaza has been facing for years.
This is also imperative given that these problems occur above the biggest water aquifer in Gaza.
Continued leakages could pose threats of disease in the area.
The Center therefore calls upon the PNA and the international community to: 1.
Bear the responsibility for the situation and offer emergency aid and housing to the devastated population without delay until their homes are rehabilitated; 2.
Finish the construction of the new treatment plant in east Jabalia as soon as possible and remove the current plant and the risks it creates for the population from the area; 3.
Investigate the incident and reveal any negligence and/or misdoing that has caused these frequent incidents; 4.
Deal, with special care and speed, the redress and restitution claims by the victims in accordance with the law; 5.
Remove any obstacles, whether political or financial, undermining the transfer of the treatment plant to east Jabalia, far from populated centers.
For further information about the history of this problem, please visit Al Mezan's website at the following links: Press Release, 27 March 2007 at http://www.
mezan.
org/site_en/press_room/press_detail.
php?id=597 On the Brink of Disaster: The Bait Lahia Treatment Plant and Human Rights, at http://www.
mezan.
org/site_en/resource_center/index.
php?pageNum_document=1&totalRows_document=17&type=ESC%20Rights%20reports Workshop on the problem (Arabic only) at http://www.
mezan.
org/document/ws_environment_northgaza.
pdf Workshop on "North Gaza Treatment Plant: Human Rights Impacts" (Arabic only) at http://www.
mezan.
org/site_ar/capacity_building/workshops/w_1_2003.
php Press releases (Arabic) at http://www.
mezan.
org/site_ar/press_room/press_detail.
php?id=339 http://www.
mezan.
org/site_ar/press_room/press_detail.
php?id=303