GAZA: Swimming in sewage
GAZA CITY, 2 August 2009 (IRIN): Less than 50 meters from a black, barrel-sized pipe pouring raw sewage (kloakslam) directly into the sea, children are playing in the waves.
The pipe runs from one of three main sewage pumping stations in Gaza, with multiple outlets into the sea.
The water authority in the Gaza Strip has been unable to import the parts necessary for the maintenance and repairs at water and sewage pumping stations since Israel imposed its two-year long blockade of the territory, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza.
– We know there is sewage in the water, but the borders are closed and we can not travel, said Mariam Al-Halu, who brought her two sons to swim.
With scorching temperatures and intermittent electricity (hyppige strømsvigt), many Gazans seek refuge from the heat in the polluted waters, residents say.
Læs videre på http://www.IRINnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85542
