Palestine
In the early 2010s I made multiple trips to Palestine. At first, I documented the effects of the occupation in the West Bank, and then a photo essay exploring the environmental condition of Gaza.
The Environmental Degradation of Gaza 2012 Reflection for Contra Journal - 2020
In 2012, I travelled to Gaza with the writer Patrick Keddie in order to get an impression of the collective experience of the Palestinians living there. We didn’t want to focus on just the fighting, but more the byproducts of it. This led us to investigate the extreme environmental degradation of the area that had arisen due to the ongoing conflict, and how these issues have severely affected the quality of life for those living in an already battered Gaza.
The environmental impact of the conflict was, and is, severe. For a start the sewage system in 2012 was completely destroyed. Many of the plants that had been built to deal with the sewage had been repeatedly bombed so were not working at all. This meant that most of the sewage from the Gaza Strip was heading straight into the Mediterranean Sea, polluting the water and inflicting skin diseases on many Palestinians who swam in the sea. The resulting pollution also meant that what was left of the local fish supply, already seriously depleted due to a naval blockade of three nautical miles, was becoming poisoned. Sadly the fish still had to be eaten due to the military restricting food imports.
On its route to the sea, the sewage was fed into the River Wadi Gaza which flows through refugee camps, small villages and farmland outside the main cities before reaching the Mediterranean. This river had turned to seemingly pure sewage, however I observed (and photographed) children playing in it. The river, which used to be part of a nature reserve, flows through Israel and into Gaza but is dammed on the Israeli side. When Israel opened the dams, without warning, it sometimes caused floods across these villages and towns, even more damaging considering the contaminated contents of the water. The sewage from Gaza was at times even flowing north and spoiling Tel Aviv's main beach. More recently, desalination and sewage plants have been built; however, they only function on a limited basis due to the lack of consistent power available.
While in Gaza we spent time with UN workers who explained that the water crisis was causing locals to over-use the area’s fresh water supply, which stems from an aquifer underground. This was causing sea water to contaminate the fresh water, leading to the warning that in time that source of clean water will also be ruined – now, in 2020, this prediction has sadly come true with 96% of the aquifer water undrinkable. The people of Gaza spend precious money buying drinking water that is often unsafe, and because many families cannot afford this basic necessity, water-borne illnesses are now widespread, particularly among children.
During the Israeli Military’s 2012 “Operation Pillar of Defence”, huge amounts of damage was inflicted on Gaza's infrastructure. One such example was a destroyed water pipe attached to a bridge that had been blown up, causing 10,000 residents of a nearby refugee camp to have no access to even the polluted water the pipe had supplied before the bombings. One NGO told us that a man tried to drive a water truck to these people but was tragically hit in an airstrike, killing the driver.
Food shortages in the area were extreme, made worse by the shortage of water for growing crops. Much of the farmland was within the inaccessible 1500m 'buffer zone' along the border meaning many farmers would be shot at if they tended their land. Much of that land was also ruined by tank tracks or the scars and craters from fighting.
As imports and exports, trade and immigration in and out of Gaza are controlled by Egypt and Israel the economy struggles enormously. Fuel, medical supplies, building materials, food and other necessary imports are in very short supply and the growing population adds more pressure. The environmental impact exacerbates this pressure meaning many Palestinians are unemployed and are also unable to travel to find work – the unemployment rate has risen from 29% in 2012 to 45% today with over 60% amongst young Palestinians. Despite this many young Gazan's take education seriously and attend the universities in the area.
The current US Government doesn't seem to worry too much about how their actions might inflame tensions between Israel and Palestine. Even as I write this in 2019 Israel is striking Hamas targets after missiles were fired from Gaza. While this violence continues alongside an economic blockade and population increase, the environmental issues also worsen and local organisations must struggle for change.
A PDF of the full report, “Gaza in 2020: A Liveable Place?”, can be found on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East website: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/gaza-2020-liveable-place