Israel Cuts Water Supplies In West Bank During Ramadan
MEP: Israel has reportedly cut water supplies to large areas of the occupied West Bank during the holy month of Ramadan amid boiling heat and the Muslim fasting.
Mekorot, Israel’s national water company cut off water supplies to the entire governorate of Jenin, several Nablus villages, the city of Salfit and surrounding villages leaving tens of thousands of Palestinians in desperate need of water with the areas’ taps dry since the first day of Ramadan.
Ayman Rabi, the executive director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group, was quoted as saying on Tuesday that in some areas, people had not received water for more than 40 days.
“People are relying on purchasing water from water trucks or finding it from alternative sources such as springs and other filling points in their vicinity,” he said.
“Families are having to live on two, three or 10 litres per capita per day,” he said, adding that in some areas they had started rationing water.
“Residents suffer badly in this hot weather and at this time of Ramadan. Israel and Israel only is responsible for the water cuts, as agreements signed with Israel clearly state that Mekorot should provide the northern areas of the West Bank with their needs of water,” Ragheb al Haj Hassan, mayor of Jenin, which has a population of about 40,000 people, was quoted as saying by the Gulf News. There was no prior warning issued by the Israel national water company, Hassan added. Mekorot has not yet released any official statement on the matter.
The United Nations has said an average person would need to consume 7.5 liters of water per day.
