Gaza - Saba:
The Gaza Municipality warned of an imminent danger to the rainwater collection pond in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, due to the pond's water level rising to a dangerously high level. This poses a real threat to the lives of residents in the vicinity, amid ongoing fears that the pond, which is filled with sewage, could overflow.
The municipality explained in a statement on Tuesday that the pond's water level has reached approximately 6.10 meters due to the continued daily flow of sewage into it, causing it to rise at a rate of 30 centimeters per day.
It noted that the operating hours of the pond's drainage pumps have been reduced due to a reduction in the amount of fuel needed to operate them and drain the daily incoming wastewater, as well as a decrease in the water level.
It explained that the accumulation of large quantities of sewage in the pond has created a real and serious environmental and health disaster in the area, due to the foul odors and harmful insects that increase the spread of diseases and epidemics.
The municipality warned against the leakage of sewage into the groundwater reservoir, as this could lead to serious pollution and repercussions that threaten public health and the environment.
It emphasized that it urgently needs approximately 15,000 liters of fuel per week to operate the pumps for at least 15 hours per day, as an emergency measure to reduce the risk, mitigate the disaster, and lower the water level in the pond to a level that does not pose a threat to citizens' lives.
The direct targeting of sewage networks and facilities and the shutdown of sewage pumping stations have diverted wastewater to the pond designated for collecting rainwater due to the lack of alternatives, exacerbating the scale of the disaster facing the city.
The municipality called on international organizations to urgently intervene and assist the municipality in providing fuel and other necessary supplies to mitigate the humanitarian disaster facing the city and mitigate the risk of the pond overflowing.