GAZA, May 30, 2011 (WAFA) - A Gaza rights group said Monday in a fact sheet that quality of drinking water in the Gaza Strip is way below international standards.

Al-Mezan Center for Human Rights said that 95% of the drinking water is below World Health Organization (WHO) standards, stressing that the Israeli practices contributed to decreasing the availability of drinking water and increased level of contamination of Gaza underground water reserves.

The fact sheet focused on the Gaza Strip’s desalination stations, especially the quality of the produced water and monitoring policy.

It explained that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory in 1967 is the main reason for the water shortage and contamination.

It reported that the Israeli authorities dug more than 26 wells along the armistice demarcation line between Israel and Gaza in an attempt to prevent the flow of ground water.

It said that Israeli forces deliberately destroyed the infrastructure of the water sector in Gaza, targeting wells, reservoirs, ponds , the main supply lines and irrigation systems.

The sheet addressed the pollution of the underground reservoirs, adding that this source is being depleted, which leads to the deterioration of water quality.

As for the quality of the drinking water, the fact sheet said that the level of chloride in the water wells exceeds by eight times the WHO criteria. The nitrate concentration increased in most wells also to eight times WHO’s criteria.

It said desalinated water may actually damage the water quality because of the removal of dissolved salts, especially calcium and fluoride, which are considered necessary elements for human’s health.

The fact sheet said half of the desalination stations need more monitoring as they are unlicensed and some wells are also unlicensed which threatens residents’ health.

Y.Y./M.A.