Deputy Special Representative of UNDP’s Program of Assistance to Palestinian People to QNA: Collapse of Solid Waste Management System in Gaza Aggravates Health Crisis -1-

The Deputy Special Representative of UNDP's Program of Assistance to the Palestinian People continued by saying to QNA that prior to the war, the number of heavy vehicles for waste transportation was 10 and now there is no heavy vehicle to transport it. As for the waste collection containers, there were 7,300 containers before the war and now there are only 1,300, while the number of landfill machinery units decreased from 18 units to two units. Before the war, there were 5 medical waste collection vehicles and now only one is working, while the number of medical waste sterilization devices was 12 and now only one is working, in addition to the destruction and damage of all the microwave devices needed to sterilize medical waste, she stated, describing this situation as "extremely destructive." She added that the infection of more than one million people in the Gaza Strip with many diseases such as hepatitis, diarrhea and other diseases constitutes a dangerous situation that requires addressing, given its si gnificant impact on societies in the long term, pointing to the great destruction that occurred to the water and sanitation infrastructure because of the war. Noguchi warned that the suffering is not limited to the accumulation of solid waste and failure to handle it, but also to the collapse of the entire water and sewage systems as well as the presence of sewage ponds next to residential areas and food stores. She noted that the UNDP had established many sewage treatment facilities in various parts of the Gaza Strip, but the war had destroyed these facilities, noting that the current situation requires ensuring the restoration of this infrastructure to prevent the spread and exacerbation of the health crisis. While pointing to contact made with many donors, countries and partners to support solid waste management in the sector, she noted the need to support these efforts to prevent the continued spread of health crises in Gaza. Deputy Special Representative of UNDP's Program of Assistance to the Palesti nian People Chitose Noguchi concluded her interview with QNA by stressing that all the current work being done comes from the resources available to the program, calling on the international community to address the health crisis in the Gaza Strip, especially since its impact on the lives and health of individuals continues over the long term. Source: Qatar News Agency