MADRE Statements

Project Update: Looking for Clean Water in Occupied Gaza

Posted on: Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Keywords: Palestine, Middle East, Environmental Justice, Water Rights

Palestine Water Day Gaza’s water crisis is one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in the region. In Gaza City, many houses have running water only once a week, and in some of the poorest communities, families do not have taps in or near their homes. As a result, women and their families are left without clean drinking water.

MADRE has been working with our partner, the Zakher Association, to ensure that women and their families have reliable, affordable and clean water. Through your support of “Clean Water for Gaza" we are installing water filters in key parts of Gaza City, including schools and kindergartens. Our efforts reduce the dangers of water contamination and provide safe drinking water for women, their children and families. By installing four water filters in kindergartens, we gave 600 children clean drinking water in their classrooms.

Water contamination and environmental degradation routinely deplete people’s clean water supplies. But Gaza’s water crisis is also a man-made disaster. Occupation policies have made it nearly impossible to develop or maintain the pipes and wells of Gaza’s water infrastructure. What’s more, much of the very basic infrastructure that did exist was destroyed in Israel’s bombing campaign in the early days of 2009.

Without access to water filters installed by MADRE and Zakher, people are left with few other options. When families can afford it, they purchase water from vendors and store it in plastic containers. But most families can’t afford it. That’s why the clean water for Gaza project is so critical.

Success Story:

Palestine Water Day 2 Maryam is 45 years old and married with 11 children. We’ve shared her story with you before. Since our last update about Maryam, her participation in the Clean Water for Gaza project has greatly improved life for her family.

Maryam explained, "I am not scared that my children will get sick from the contaminated water anymore. Now they drink the water that goes through the filter MADRE gave us. I no longer have to store the water inside of a bucket where germs can breed. The filter saved us precious money. We are a poor family and now we have more money for food and medicine. “