Posted on 02/24/2008 7:01:30 PM PST by ricks_place
Six months ago, a water pumping station - part of a system that serves 60 per cent of the population in Gaza - opened right next to my home. We were pleased to hear of this development as we previously had no other option but to dump our untreated sewage in water wells.
This had posed an immense health hazard to all members of the community.
So when we heard that our sewage would now be treated and we would no longer have to dump our waste near our homes, we were very relieved.
The new station receives up to 40,000 cubic metres of waste water every day, and it should pump 120 cubic metres an hour through each of six water pumps.
However, only three pumps were installed in the station because the Israeli closure and blockade since June 2007 had prevented the essential parts needed to build the remaining three from entering Gaza.
Power cuts have also been affecting the efficiency of the station. The emergency generator is not functioning well as it requires maintenance and spare parts are lacking. The limited amount of fuel that is let into Gaza is not enough to run the generator for long hours.
Toxic waste
"What disgusts me is that this could all have been prevented had the Israelis opened one checkpoint to allow the spare parts and fuel through."
Last summer, the station could not cope with the high volume of sewage, which was ultimately diverted to a nearby grove where the community had planted their olive trees and other crops. If you have seen an olive tree you will know that it is a hardy plant which can bear fruit even in the desert.
But since the diversion, all of the crops in that grove - including some 100 olive trees - died as a result of the toxic waste that was being pumped into the land.
The sewage continues to flow there to this day. The crops cultivated in this grove used to provide a source of income and food for the neighbourhood. Now the entire area has become a wasteland.
This station was supposed to be a blessing for the neighbourhood but it turned out to be a curse, a health hazard for us all.
Sewage water is filling the streets surrounding the station and flooding nearby houses.
The stench is unbearable.
Tenants in ground floor flats were forced to move in with neighbours on higher floors. People are now using sand bags to absorb the sewage water which continues to seep into their houses.
The amount of children who have been taken ill has increased considerably. Cases of diarrhea are mounting by the day. Even now, children continue to play outside amongst the raw sewage where else can they go?
And we are now facing a public health crisis.
What disgusts me is that this could all have been prevented had the Israelis opened one checkpoint to allow the spare parts and fuel through.
Note last sentence — “It’s the Joooooooos!”
Gaza is truly a crappy place
Crappy people make a crappy place
If the Jooos don’t take better care of them their job performance will suffer and they won’t be able to kill as many Jooos.
Soon to be a topic of discussion at the UN.
I did see that Jews were blamed but I could not locate the sewer line from a Jewish settlement to Gaza! Hamas sends rockets into Israel while awash in $hit!
Somebody call the “Whambulance”!
A generous application of napalm will sterilize the place and kill off all the vermin. Give it a try.
Gaza has MORE THAN ONE border. The Egyptians could have supplied all of the Gazans' needs, had they been inclined to do so.
Furthermore, Gaza has a functioning seaport. Pumps, fuel, or generator parts are only days away by ship.
The Israelis are not denying them stuff, only denying them FREE stuff.
Metal can be used for rocket parts as well as pumps. As long as the metal that goes through a checkpoint comes back into Israel in the form of a rocket I wouldn’t let anything through the border.
Gaza, palestinians, muslims, islamists = untermensch/sewage/garbage/crap/junk/sh!t. They should feel right at home.
What’s the complaint? Oh, I forgot: it’s the Jooooooos!
I was going to say...I was JUST looking at a map of the place and they’ve got several miles of border with the Mediteranean Sea!
Pardon the pun, but WHAT A LOAD OF CRAP.
You never have to dump sewage down a water well.
So now they are like pigs wallowing in their own filth.
This is so insane it must be hidden somewhere in sharia law or in the koran. Methinks I'll look it up, perhaps when the long awaited Charmin edition comes out, but only if it's four ply.
Well their lucky I’m not in charge. They’d be getting plenty of rockets and napalm rather than check points. That’s a bit more uncomfortable than sewage.
Man that is just.... an amazing response.
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