National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL

35Impact of the AssaultLess than 30 percent of electricity demand is now being met. Damaged assets include the main storage warehouse, networkstructures, the north Gaza substation, and the only local electricity power plant. The Gaza Power Plant’s fuel treatment andstorage facilities were completely destroyed. In addition, only 10 percent of the electricity received is utilized due to the extensivedamage sustained by the internal distribution network. For instance, severe network damage means that, in eastern Gaza City,Beit Hanoun, Khuza’a and eastern of Rafah, the majority of households there are not likely to receive electricity.3.2.3 Water and Waste WaterPrior to the AssaultThe water and waste water sectors were at crisis point prior to the assault. Gaza relies almost completely on its coastal aquifer,which is being over-abstracted and infiltrated by sewage, pollution, and sea-water. The aquifer could become unusable as earlyas 2016 and only seven percent of operating water wells produce potable water according to WHO standards. In general, only10 percent of water in Gaza is now potable. Although the water network coverage is almost universal, its distribution efficiencywas down to 55 percent. As a result, access to clean water was already limited, with average consumption at 70-90 percent ofthe global WHO daily standard.Impact of the AssaultThe attacks severely impacted the water, sanitationand hygiene sectors, leaving at least 450,000 peoplevulnerable to serious public health risks. Primarywater pipelines, water reservoirs, house connections,sewage pipelines, wastewater treatment plants, andsewage pumping stations were directly targetedand damaged. Well pumping stations, the wastewater treatment plants, and the desalination processare now disabled by electricity and fuel shortages.Between 20 and 30 percent of water and sewagenetworks remain damaged, mostly in Khan Younis,and 12 percent of wells were destroyed or damaged,mostly in Gaza City, Beit Hanoun, and Deir Al-Balah.Around 90 percent of water (and sanitation) facilities rely on electric power for pumping water to the population. Water provisionis now cut or severely restricted, with residents of North Gaza and Khan Younis most affected. Between 30 to 50 percent ofhousehold water storage capacity was damaged and many households lack the electricity or pumps to fill water storage whenwater is available. Despite rapid repair by the Coastal Water Management Utility (CWMU) of 80 percent of priority repairs toinfrastructure, between 20 to 30 percent (450,000 people) are unable to access municipal water. Costs of desalinated andtinkered water have increased, further limiting access to water for vulnerable families and creating financial stress for the largerpopulation, which was already dependent on private water vendors prior to the assault.Sanitation is also a priority: services are damaged and the massive number of IDPs are overwhelming the public shelters ortheir shared accommodations. This represents a serious imminent public health risk, with infectious diseases reportedly on therise, particularly amongst IDPs. Only 50 percent of wastewater is treated and is flowing into the sea and streets or mixing withwater, posing a severe environmental and public health threat. Although solid waste services are functioning in most areas,collection is infrequent and residents are dumping waste within their communities. Lack of spare parts and fuel for operationand maintenance are likely to cause further service disruptions.