The Gaza Strip region is frequently in the news concerning the conflict between Israel and Palestine. Most recently, a lot of media attention was given to the December, 2008 bombardment and ground offensive of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Defense Force. This generated numerous discussions in regards to human rights violations, ethnic conflict and territorial disputes. Nevertheless, the breadth of the issue is such that a lot of vital issues remain hidden from the public spotlight. Examples of such issues are the political and environmental deterrents which prevent people in the Gaza Strip from acquiring clean water.
As of 2010, the underground water supplies in the Gaza Strip are sinking. In addition, there are also numerous concerns about the water’s contamination and toxic levels. This blog will assess the sub-national and supra-national perspectives of water issues in the Gaza Strip following the escalation of violence within the region.
Below is a video from UNICEF, concerning the water crisis in the Gaza Strip.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/FszQtfyy-jU" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
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The Background section of this blog will address the historical and political issues surrounding the area which, among other things, continue to effect its environment. Historically, the problem of territoriality has created numerous obstacles, which have made it difficult for institutions to approach environmental issues in the region.
The Theory section will provide a framework on how water issues in Gaza Strip are being addressed in conjunction with the political, cultural, and regional efforts in the area. This will provide the foundation for the “Major Actors” and "Implementation" sections of the blog.
The Major Actors section will provide names of actors and organizations directly involved in Gaza's water issues. The effectiveness of current regional efforts will be assessed and analyzed. The institutional analysis is based on the 2008- 2009 United Nations Environment Programme Environmental Assessment of the Gaza Strip. Additional attention will be given to the Environmental Quality Authority (EQA), Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), and Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU).
In Implementation, we will go over price estimations and current institutional efforts following the recent escalation.
In Conclusion, the multifaceted aspects of water issues in the Gaza Strip will be summarized , while taking into account the current institutional efforts to find a solution. Based on our findings, we will provide our own ideas on how to approach the problem more effectively when it comes to policy making,institutional cooperation, and actual implementation.
Please feel to leave comments in our Comments section.
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This blog is maintained by three students majoring in International Studies at the University of Richmond.