Environmental Quality Authority in Gaza: An increase in the pollution of the strip’s beaches

Environmental Quality Authority in Gaza: An increase in the pollution of the strip’s beaches

Bahaa Al-Agha, Director General of Environmental Protection at the Environmental Quality Authority in the Gaza Strip, confirmed today, Saturday, that there is a clear increase in the pollution of the beaches of the Strip due to electricity cuts and the destruction of the infrastructure by the occupation during its repeated aggression against the Strip, which affected the work sewage treatment plants.

In an interview with the local Al-Aqsa radio station in Gaza, Al-Agha explained that the pollution off the beaches of Gaza Governorate and the northern Gaza Strip has reached dangerous levels, while the beaches of Khan Yunis, Rafah and a large part of the beaches in the central region are still in good condition.

He said, “There are wastewater drainage lines near the Egyptian border with the city of Rafah, in the western line in Khan Yunis, north of Deir al-Balah camp, opposite Al-Hurriya Street in Gaza City, and the Amer pump in the northern Gaza Strip. During the last aggression, the main line in the northern Gaza Strip was targeted, and we had to pump it onto the beach.”

He indicated that the treatment plant drains are constantly pumping on the seashore, and pollution depends on the quantity and quality of treatment, noting that the treatment plants reduce pollution on the beach.

He called vacationers in areas that contain wastewater disposal to keep a distance of 500 meters or more, noting that the World Health Organization confirms that swimming in these areas does not lead to death but to many diseases, and it is better to be careful and follow the instructions issued by the competent authorities.