Efron Shira, Fischbach Jordan R, Blum Ilana, Karimov Rouslan I, Moore Melinda
Rand Health Q. 2019 May 16;8(3):10. eCollection 2019 May.
Gaza has long had water and sanitation challenges, but today it is in a state of emergency. Its dual water crisis combines a shortage of potable water for drinking, cooking, and hygiene with a lack of wastewater sanitation. As a result, over 108,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage flow daily from Gaza into the Mediterranean Sea, creating extreme public health hazards in Gaza, Israel, and Egypt. While these problems are not new, rapidly deteriorating infrastructure, strict limitations on the import of construction materials and water pumps, and a diminished and unreliable energy supply have accelerated the water crisis and exacerbated the water-related health risks. Three wars between Israel and Hamas since 2009 and intra-Palestinian rivalry between Hamas and Fatah have further hindered the rehabilitation of Gaza's water and sanitation sectors. This study describes the relationship between Gaza's water problems and its energy challenges and examines the implications of this water crisis for public health. It reviews the current state of water supply and water sanitation in Gaza, analyzes water-related risks to public health in Gaza, and explains potential regional public health risks for Israel and Egypt. The authors recommend a number of steps to ameliorate the crisis and decrease the potential for a regional public health disaster that take into consideration current political constraints. The audience for this study includes stakeholders involved in Gaza, including the Palestinian, Israeli, and Egyptian governments, various international organizations and nongovernmental organizations working on the ground in Gaza, and the donor community seeking to rehabilitate Gaza.
加沙长期面临水和卫生设施方面的挑战，但如今已处于紧急状态。其双重水危机既包括用于饮用、烹饪和卫生的饮用水短缺，又存在废水处理设施不足的问题。结果，每天有超过10.8万立方米未经处理的污水从加沙流入地中海，给加沙、以色列和埃及带来了极端的公共卫生危害。虽然这些问题并非新问题，但基础设施迅速恶化、对建筑材料和水泵进口的严格限制以及能源供应减少且不可靠，都加速了水危机，并加剧了与水相关的健康风险。自2009年以来以色列与哈马斯之间的三场战争以及哈马斯与法塔赫之间的巴勒斯坦内部对抗，进一步阻碍了加沙水和卫生部门的恢复。本研究描述了加沙水问题与其能源挑战之间的关系，并审视了这场水危机对公共卫生的影响。它回顾了加沙目前的供水和卫生状况，分析了加沙与水相关的公共卫生风险，并解释了对以色列和埃及潜在的区域公共卫生风险。作者们提出了一些缓解危机并降低区域公共卫生灾难可能性的措施，这些措施考虑到了当前的政治限制因素。这项研究的受众包括参与加沙事务的利益相关者，其中有巴勒斯坦、以色列和埃及政府、在加沙实地开展工作的各种国际组织和非政府组织，以及寻求恢复加沙的捐助界。
