[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 29, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SEWAGE CRISIS NOW ADDED TO THE HUMANITARIAN DEBACLE IN GAZA

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                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, since late January 2008, the 1.5 million 
person population in Gaza has been enduring an Israeli-imposed 
blockade. The blockade effectively restricts the entry of food, clean 
water, fuel, and medical supplies. The lack of basic goods has severely 
deteriorated Gaza's health, economy, and social fabric.
  The World Bank reports that since Hamas ousted Fatah from Gaza last 
June, 90 percent of businesses have shut down costing workers more than 
100,000 jobs. Due to the closure of Gaza's borders and its inability to 
import raw materials, farmers and businesses are unable to produce and 
export their goods leaving nearly half a million people without an 
income.
  According to Oxfam, today 80 percent of Gaza's population is 
dependent on food aid. On April 24th, the United Nations, UN, announced 
the suspension of their food aid program to 650,000 Gazans, 56 percent 
of whom are children, due to a lack of fuel for their trucks. These 
restrictions exacerbate an already dire humanitarian crisis in which 
17.5 percent of children under the age of five suffer from chronic 
malnutrition.
  Water and wastewater systems have also become a casualty of the 
blockade. Gaza's water and wastewater system is heavily reliant on 
diesel-powered generators. Due to the restrictions on the entry of 
diesel into Gaza, many water pumps do not have the power to provide 
running water. Additionally, the sewage system dates back to 1967 and 
was meant to provide for a population one-third the size of Gaza's 
Population. The lack of clean water and an adequate sewage system has 
led to a sanitary water crisis in Gaza.
  According to a recent UN publication, seventy-five percent of Gaza's 
drinking water is polluted. The lack of clean water and a proper sewage 
system has caused infestations of small organisms such as amoeba that 
have led to several ailments including abdominal colic, diarrhea, and 
constipation. The sewage crisis has also led to overflow. On March 27, 
2007, a wall of human waste overflowed into Gaza's residential areas 
and caused the death of children and elderly people.
  According to the United Relief Works Agency, UNRWA, ``Gaza is on the 
threshold of becoming the first territory to be intentionally reduced 
to a state of abject destitution, with the knowledge, acquiescence and, 
some would say, encouragement of the international community.''
  Israel must protect its citizens and ensure their security, but 
pursuant to the Fourth Geneva Convention, Israel also has a legal duty 
to provide Gazans with food, clean water, electricity, and medical 
care. I urge the U.S. Administration to help end the humanitarian 
crisis in Gaza and ensure the health, safety, and security for 
Palestinians and Israelis.

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