meet Tue. with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the opening of the
UN General session, in New York. Here are two articles on
matters which will be under discussion. -Ed
From: Sid Shniad
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48464
Gaza's Water Supply Near Collapse
By Mel Frykberg
RAMALLAH, Sep 16 (IPS) - The International Committee of the Red Cross has
warned that Gaza's access to safe supply of drinking water could cease at
any time. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says outbreaks of disease
could be triggered as a consequence.
The warnings follow a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report
Monday that "Gaza's underground water system is in danger of collapse after
recent conflict compounded by years of overuse and contamination."
"An outbreak of Hepatitis A and parasitic infections could occur at any
time," Mahmoed Daher from WHO in Gaza told IPS. "Already the number of
people, especially children, suffering from diarrhoea has risen
dramatically."
"We have noticed an increase in people suffering from kidney diseases from
water contaminated with toxins, as well as babies born with an unnatural
blue tinge," Munther Shoblak from Gaza's Coastal Municipalities Water
Utility (CMWU) told IPS.
The UNEP report focuses on a rise in saltwater intrusion from the sea caused
by over-extraction of ground water, and pollution from sewage and
agricultural run-off, with toxic levels high enough to put infants at risk
of nitrate poisoning.
Gaza's underground aquifer is the sole water source for its 1.5 million
people. Only 5-10 percent of the water now is fit for human consumption.
The average per capita daily consumption of water for personal and domestic
use in Gaza is 91 litres. WHO recommends 100-150 litres daily. Israelis
consume 280 litres per day.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported
last week that at least 10,000 Gazans remain without access to the water
network. Furthermore, access to water is limited on average to six to eight
hours from one to four days a week for the entire population.
"Approximately 150-160 million cubic metres (mcm) are extracted from Gaza's
underground aquifer annually. Due to a regional drought over the last few
years only about 65 mcm has flown back into the aquifer annually. This
leaves a shortfall of 100 mcm," says Shoblak.
Sewage-contaminated seawater and agricultural overflow contaminated with
toxins have been flowing into the aquifer's deficit. The CMWU is only able
to partially treat some of the 80 million litres of sewage pumped out to sea
on a daily basis due to a shortage of spare parts, fuel, and electricity
cuts.
During Israel's bombardment of Gaza during the December-January war, the
strip's already degraded infrastructure was heavily targeted.
CMWU estimates that about six million dollars worth damage was caused to
major water and sanitation infrastructure during Operation Cast Lead,
Israel's codename for its war.
Over 30 kilometres of water networks were damaged or destroyed by the
Israeli military in addition to 11 wells operated by the water authorities
in Gaza. More than 6,000 roof tanks and 840 household connections were
damaged.
There is an urgent need for cement, pipes, pumps, transformers and
electrical spare parts to implement numerous projects in the water and
wastewater sector.
Some 1,250 tonnes of cement are currently needed for the repair of water
storage tanks alone. But Israel's blockade prevents cement from being
brought into Gaza.
Javier Cordoba, the ICRC water and habitation coordinator who is supervising
Red Cross reconstruction efforts in Gaza says the situation is very fragile.
"A lack of construction material and parts has led to a de-development of
the water infrastructure, which could collapse at any minute," Cordoba told
IPS.
"The whole system is inter-connected," Cordoba says. "Water wells use
mechanical pumps to supply Gazan homes with water. The shortage of
mechanical pumps and other spare parts has reduced the number of wells able
to operate."
Electricity shortages force the wells to rely on back-up generators.
Israel's blockade not only limits electricity supplies but the supply of
industrial fuel too.
The ICRC has been working on ingenious methods to get around the blockade to
bring temporary relief to Gazans.
"We have managed to build a new, albeit primitive, wastewater plant in Rafah
in the south of Gaza. We used pieces of the wall which used to divide Gaza
from the Sinai peninsula, before the wall was blown up last year, for the
basic structure.
"We also succeeded in finding limited spare parts from Gaza to operate the
plant," said Cordoba. "But this is just an interim solution, and the well
will only last about five years. The more permanent and sophisticated
wastewater management plant in northern Gaza still requires imported parts
from Israel."
Cordoba added: "In order to relieve the pressure on the aquifer we have been
digging a number of shallow wells. These again are only temporary and don't
supply much water like the deeper ones, but they allow the municipalities to
function again."
UNEP estimates that more than 1.5 billion dollars may be needed over 20
years to restore the aquifer back to health, including the establishment of
desalination plants to take pressure off the underground water supplies.
"The international community also has to fulfil its obligations in regard to
economic pledges and promises it made to establish desalination and
wastewater projects," Shoblak told IPS. "Political pressure needs to be
applied to Israel to allow for reconstruction and repairs."
The UNEP report warns: "Unless the degradation trend is reversed now, damage
could take centuries to reverse." (END/2009)
***
Israel refuses to agree to settlement freeze
BY PATRICK MARTIN JERUSALEM
Globe and Mail: September 19, 2009
A tight-lipped George Mitchell flew back to the United States last night
with little to show for his week-long efforts to rekindle the Middle East
peace process. There also was little chance of a three-way summit among
Israeli, Palestinian and American leaders next week at the United Nations in
New York as his boss, U.S. President Barack Obama, had hoped.
There is "zero chance" of a summit, Palestinian officials said last evening
after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to agree to a
complete freeze on all Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank.
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas insists on a freeze, his chief
negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said after the PA president met Friday with the
U.S. envoy, Mr. Mitchell.
Mr. Obama, in his speech to the Arab and Muslim world in Cairo in June, had
called for a halt to all settlement construction. And Palestinians want to
hold him to his word.
" We once again reiterated that there are no middle ground solutions for
settlements. A settlement freeze is a settlement freeze," Mr. Erekat said.
Mr. Netanyahu has offered to temporarily cease what he calls new
construction in many settlements but has insisted on certain exceptions:
2,500 housing units in various stages of construction; 450 additional units
in overcrowded settlements; and certain necessary infrastructure such as
schools.
As well, Mr. Netanyahu is adamant that any freeze would not apply to
settlements in occupied parts of Jerusalem.
About 300,000 Israelis currently live in settlements in the West Bank, and
another 200,000 live in parts of Jerusalem that were annexed by Israel
shortly after the 1967 war.
" By our count, there would be more settlement construction in the next nine
months than in all of 2008," one Palestinian official said last evening.
"Some freeze."
All week, Mr. Mitchell, the retired senator who succeeded in forging a peace
agreement in Northern Ireland, shuttled back and forth among Israeli,
Palestinian and other Arab leaders. He met four times with Mr. Netanyahu –
including two times Friday – and twice with Mr. Abbas. All to no avail.
Israeli officials said Palestinian intransigence was to blame.
Palestinian negotiators "showed no flexibility, while Israel did," a source
in the Prime Minister's office told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz late
Friday.
Israel offered to freeze West Bank settlement construction for nine months,
the official said, with no reference to the various exceptions that would be
allowed, an increase of three months from Israel's previous offer. But
Palestinian negotiators wouldn't budge, he said.
Israeli media have reported that Mr. Mitchell has been asking for a one-year
moratorium on construction.
Mr. Netanyahu faces political pressures within his right-of-centre coalition
government. Even in his own Likud Party, senior members have urged him not
to agree to any freeze at all. His call for a freeze with exceptions appears
to be an attempt to have it both ways.
The Palestinian leadership faces political pressures of its own. The
movement is badly divided with the hard-line Islamic resistance movement
Hamas controlling the Gaza Strip, while Mr. Abbas's Fatah-led Palestinian
Authority governs the West Bank. Efforts by mediators such as Egypt have
failed so far to unite the two factions.
" If Abu Mazen concedes on a settlement freeze," said a Palestinian official
last night, referring to Mr. Abbas by his popular name, "he'll lose all
credibility."
And if Mr. Obama backs down too far from his demand for a halt to settlement
construction, he could lose a great deal of respect in the Arab world as
well.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday the U.S. administration
would keep pushing for a peace deal.
" I guarantee you that President Obama and I are very patient and very
determined," she said in a speech to the Washington-based Brookings
Institution. "We know that this is not an easy road for anyone to travel."
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