The first weather low hitting the Gaza Strip this season has renewed fears of flooding at Sheikh Radwan Pond, one of the main rainwater collection ponds, after large quantities of water accumulated and mixed with sewage leaking due to damage to the drainage system. Jonathan Vitch, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) Special Representative, warned of a public health crisis if the pond floods, noting it has turned into a highly toxic site.
In the same context, the weather low struck the Strip on Friday evening accompanied by heavy rains that caused more than 70,000 displacement tents to flood and four homes and dozens of walls damaged by the Israeli genocide war to collapse, resulting in injuries, including serious cases. The Palestinian Civil Defense confirmed that water levels in some camps reached one and a half meters, exacerbating the humanitarian suffering and spoiling clothes, blankets, and food supplies.
Sheikh Radwan Pond holds approximately 500,000 cubic meters of water and serves an area of nearly 20 square kilometers in Gaza City and part of the Jabalia area. Gaza Municipality stated that Israel inflicted serious damage on the pond and pumping stations during the genocide war, leading to sewage leaking into it. The Water Authority noted that the station's capacity has dropped to about 30 percent of its previous capacity due to damage to pumps and transmission lines.
Vitch added that UNICEF negotiated last year to repair the system without success due to Israel's ban on importing equipment and engineers. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that 950,000 Palestinians are at risk of flooding, while available supplies are insufficient to provide partial assistance to only about 52,000 families out of a total of 294,000 needy families.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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