In the past, sewers dumped sewage directly into the sea, polluting coastal waters. Now the cleaning work has been done and the majority of the beaches are seaworthy.
The waters are clear, the sand clean and the air smells of fresh sea breeze. In Gaza, water beasts have been able to enjoy the joys of the beaches for the first time in years.
Previously, open sewers dumped sewage directly into the sea, polluting coastal waters and causing an environmental disaster on the shores of Gaza. Now the situation is different: with international funding, wastewater treatment plants have been built.
Now the waters are at their purest for decades. According to water purity authorities, 65% of Gaza’s coastline is now clean. The goal is to clean up the rest.
– We couldn’t come here earlier because the sea was polluted. If we came, the children would return home with viruses and skin diseases, said the mother of four Sahar Abu Bashir.
– Today the area is clean and the sea is clean. We feel like we are in another country, he continued.
The Gaza Strip is 375 square kilometers in size, only slightly larger than Espoo. Gaza is home to 2.3 million Palestinians, few of whom can get anywhere else in their lives. Half of the population lives below the poverty line.