Only about 25% of Gazans have access to water in their homes for up to 7 hours a day, 65% get it for 7 hours every two days, and 10% every three days. Gaza's unsafe drinking water rate rose from 90% in 2012 to 97% in 2019. Poor families have the choice of drinking tap water or purchase safe and drinking water. This project will provide and maintain a purification and desalination unit that is independent of municipal water and electricity and will target schools with a minimum of 2500 students.

Challenge

Only 3.6% of wells in the Gaza Strip comply with WHO standards for concentration of chloride (CI) and nitrate (NO3). Tap water is not suitable for human use forcing about 90% of households to buy water from tanker desalination plants. The price of desalinated water is 10-30 times higher, imposing additional financial burdens on the population, which suffers from a rise in poverty and unemployment.

Long-Term Impact

Installing these self-contained units in schools will significantly reduce the exposure to many health risks associates with contaminated water to students. The public will have access to such water as well. Additionally, when schools are not in session, well water can help ease municipal water shortages as well by pumping extra water to the municipal water line. Lastly, schools are always used as shelters during Israeli attacks on Gaza, these units will be a life-saving source of water to all.

References

1. https://www.thehopefoundationofpalestine.org

Additional Documentation

https://www.globalgiving.org//pfil/52803/projdoc.docx

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