On top of hunger… Nuseirat camp in Gaza lacks water or municipal services

For the second day in a row, all infrastructure facilities in the Nuseirat refugee camp, in the central Gaza Strip, have been shut down due to a fuel shortage, threatening a health and environmental disaster that threatens the lives of more than 180,000 people.

The director of the Nuseirat mayor’s office, Engineer Mohammed Al-Salhi, said that the main cause of the crisis is the tight blockade and complete closure of the crossings since March 2, which has prevented the entry of any fuel needed to operate the generators that pump fresh water and dispose of solid waste and sewage.

Al-Salhi explained, in an exclusive interview with Al Jazeera Net, that the main water tank in Nuseirat has stopped operating, and that the camp has become completely paralyzed, with 26 water wells, two main tanks with a capacity of 4,000 cubic meters of water, seven desalination plants, a central sewage plant, and 17 service vehicles used for public hygiene and daily services out of service.  He pointed out that if the current situation persists, more than 80,000 tons of solid waste will accumulate in the streets, creating a breeding ground for epidemics, insects, and rodents.