Large segments of the population of the Gaza Strip are still deprived of safe drinking water, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)..
Repairs to sewage systems and the restoration of basic electricity services remain urgent, ICRC added.
In its statement issued on Tuesday, the ICRC said that water and power facilities in Gaza were already at breaking point before the recent conflict, which further damaged the sewage network as well as the territory's only power plant.
Destroyed sewage systems not only sent wastewater flooding into the clean-water networks but also into the environment, worsening the risks to public health. This aggravated an already serious situation resulting from the fact that the Strip had previously been discharging nearly 100,000 cubic metres of wastewater into the sea every day, ICRC added.
Emergency efforts carried out by the ICRC have so far provided water for over 600,000 people – at least one third of the population – and helped restore over 80 per cent of the limited electricity service for inhabitants. More sustainable improvements in vital infrastructure are needed, according to the ICRC report.