 Before the Oslo Accords of 1995 signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Israeli government, water and sanitation services in the Gaza Strip were suffering. Access to clean water was limited, and old leaky pipes meant massive water losses that Palestinians could simply not afford. As a result, water was relatively scarce and costly. In one of the most densely populated areas in the world, the need for a dependable water supply was critical.
The World Bank and other donors got together with the Palestinian Water Authority to launch the Gaza Water and Sanitation Services Project. The project targeted the efficiency of the water distribution system, the quality of water supply and wastewater treatment.
“If our treatment plant had not been renovated, we could not have met the needs of our residents, and before long our water services would have simply collapsed,” explains Hazim Tarazi, director of the Water and Wastewater Department of the Palestinian Water Authority. “With this project, we’ve built the foundation for future efficiency, with transparent rules and a solid infrastructure for one of our most precious resources.”
The water authority—a newly created agency unifying the sixteen municipalities of the Gaza Strip—has proved one of the most effective national institutions, given that it relies on a dialogue with the private sector, distributors and residents.
Providing safe water for more than 1.2 million residents required significant repairs, which increased water availability by 69 percent by May 2002. More than 1,260 kilometers of pipes were surveyed and more than 50,000 water meters repaired or replaced. In addition, some 22,000 household service connections were replaced. In 1996, only 50 percent of water supply was treated, but now 96 percent of the supply is safe for drinking.
Gaza Strip resident Majed Mahmoud says that during the hot summer months his family used to be deprived of water, particularly those members who lived in outlying areas. “But in the past four years, we have seen a steady increase in the amount of water available for our basic household needs.”
Updated: November 2003
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