Gaza’s water turns poisonous as Israel’s genocide leaves toxic aftermath – Al Jazeera

Environmental and Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza: A Sustainable Development Goals Perspective

I. Executive Summary

The conflict in Gaza has resulted in a severe environmental and humanitarian crisis, causing significant setbacks to the achievement of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The destruction of infrastructure has led to the contamination of essential natural resources, including land and water, directly impacting public health, community safety, and food security. This report details the specific impacts on key SDGs, highlighting the long-term consequences for the region’s sustainable development.

II. Impact on SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

The conflict has critically undermined progress towards ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

• Infrastructure Collapse: Israeli air attacks have destroyed sewage and water networks, including pumps designed to manage rainwater. This has crippled sanitation systems and led to the overflow of raw sewage.
• Water Source Contamination: A rainwater collection pond in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, an essential water source, has become a repository for sewage and debris. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report confirms that the collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure has likely increased contamination of the aquifer that supplies much of Gaza with water.
• Lack of Access: Displaced families are forced to use and live near contaminated water sources, as there are no viable alternatives. Officials report that residents are aware that water from wells and trucks is polluted but have no other choice.

III. Impact on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The environmental devastation poses grave risks to the health and well-being of the population, directly contravening the objectives of SDG 3.

1. Disease Outbreak Risk: Local officials warn that stagnant, contaminated water, which has risen to over six meters in some areas, is a breeding ground for insects and mosquitoes, creating a high risk of disease outbreaks, particularly among children.
2. Hazardous Living Conditions: Displaced populations, including pregnant women and children, are living in and around foul water, exposed to significant health dangers.
3. Decimation of Medical Facilities: The conflict has decimated medical facilities, severely limiting the capacity to respond to the escalating public health crisis.

IV. Impact on SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 2: Zero Hunger

The conflict has rendered communities unsafe and unsustainable, while simultaneously creating conditions of extreme food insecurity.

• Urban Destruction (SDG 11): Entire neighborhoods have been razed, transforming communities into wastelands. The conflict has produced an estimated 61 million tonnes of rubble, some of which is contaminated with hazardous materials, posing a long-term environmental and safety risk.
• Forced Displacement (SDG 11): Families have been displaced multiple times and are forced to take refuge in hazardous environments, such as the areas surrounding the contaminated Sheikh Radwan pond.
• Food Insecurity (SDG 2): According to Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim al-Zeben, attacks have destroyed a significant portion of the enclave’s agricultural land. This has left the region in a state of severe food insecurity and famine, with reports of food being used as a weapon.

V. Conclusion

The conflict in Gaza has precipitated an environmental catastrophe that severely impedes progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The deliberate destruction of water, sanitation, and agricultural infrastructure has created a multi-faceted crisis that violates the principles of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). The long-term environmental contamination and infrastructure collapse will require substantial international effort to mitigate and rebuild, representing a profound regression for sustainable development in the region.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected crises resulting from the conflict in Gaza, which directly relate to multiple Sustainable Development Goals. The destruction of infrastructure, environmental contamination, and the resulting humanitarian crisis touch upon the core principles of the SDGs, focusing on health, water, sustainable communities, and peace.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article discusses the severe public health risks faced by the population. The contamination of water sources with sewage and the presence of stagnant water create a breeding ground for diseases, directly threatening the health and well-being of the residents, especially children.

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  This is a central theme of the article. It explicitly details the destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure, leading to the contamination of essential water sources with raw sewage. The text describes how a rainwater pond has turned into a festering pool of sewage and debris, and the UN report cited warns of polluted freshwater supplies and a contaminated aquifer.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article describes the large-scale destruction of urban areas, stating that the war has “razed entire neighbourhoods to the ground” and turned a “lively community” into a “wasteland.” This includes the destruction of homes, displacement of families, and the crippling of essential municipal services, all of which are critical components of sustainable cities.

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  The article mentions that Israel’s attacks have “destroyed much of the enclave’s agricultural land,” leading to “severe food insecurity and famine.” This directly addresses the goal of ending hunger and ensuring food security.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The entire context of the article is a conflict described as “Israel’s war on Gaza.” The violence has led to the collapse of institutions and public services (medical facilities, sanitation systems), creating a humanitarian crisis. The mention of a “fragile ceasefire, which Israel has violated daily” points to the absence of peace and security.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the issues described, several specific SDG targets can be identified as being severely undermined by the situation in Gaza.

• Under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  • Target 3.3: By 2030, end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases and combat hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases. The article’s warning that “stagnant water could cause disease outbreaks” directly relates to the risk of water-borne diseases.
  • Target 3.9: By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination. The text highlights the contamination of ground, water, and rubble with “hazardous materials” and the poisoning of “the very ground and water on which Palestinians depend.”

• Under SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation

  • Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. The article states that families “know that the water they get from the wells and from the containers or from the water trucks is polluted and contaminated … but they don’t have any other choice.”
  • Target 6.2: By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation. The destruction of sanitation systems and pumps has led to raw sewage contaminating a rainwater pond, indicating a complete collapse of sanitation services.
  • Target 6.3: By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally. The article describes how “raw sewage” now fills a pond after pumps were destroyed, and a UN report confirms the “collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure.”

• Under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. The article details how “Homes lie in ruins” and families are displaced, living in hazardous conditions around a sewage-filled pond.
  • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected and substantially decrease the direct economic losses relative to global gross domestic product caused by disasters, including water-related disasters, with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations. The conflict is a man-made disaster, and the rising, contaminated water levels pose a direct threat, with a “high possibility for any child, woman, old man, or even a car to fall into this pond.”

• Under SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  • Target 2.1: By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year round. The article explicitly mentions “severe food insecurity and famine with food being used as a weapon.”

• Under SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article is framed around the “war on Gaza” and its devastating consequences, which is a direct antithesis to this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article provides qualitative and some quantitative data that can serve as indicators of the severe regression from the SDG targets.

• Indicators for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)

  • Proportion of wastewater safely treated: The article implies this is near zero, stating that “raw sewage” fills the pond after the destruction of pumps and the “collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure.”
  • Level of water stress: The UN report’s warning that “freshwater supplies in Gaza are severely limited and much of what remains is polluted” is a clear indicator of extreme water stress.
  • Physical measurement of pollution: The statement that “foul water levels have exceeded 6 metres [20ft] high” in the Sheikh Radwan pond is a direct, measurable indicator of the scale of the sanitation failure.

• Indicators for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

  • Mortality rate attributed to unsafe water, unsafe sanitation and lack of hygiene: While not providing numbers, the article implies a high risk, warning of “disease outbreaks, especially among children” and the “danger to our lives.” The presence of “mosquitoes” and “foul odours” are proxy indicators for an environment conducive to disease.

• Indicators for SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

  • Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing: The description of displaced families living in tents around a sewage-filled pond because they have “nowhere else to go” serves as a qualitative indicator of the housing crisis.
  • Amount of waste generated: The article provides a specific figure: “more than 61 million tonnes of rubble, some of which is contaminated with hazardous materials.” This is a direct indicator of the massive waste management challenge.

• Indicators for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

  • Prevalence of undernourishment/food insecurity: The article uses the terms “severe food insecurity and famine” to describe the situation, which are direct indicators of a failure to meet this goal. The destruction of “agricultural land” is an indicator of reduced food production capacity.

• Indicators for SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  • Number of civilian casualties: The article mentions the war has “created nearly a quarter of a million victims,” which is a direct indicator related to the reduction of violence.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: aljazeera.com