Sewage on our doorstep

n March 2007, sewage water flooded the village of Um Al-Nasr and killed six Palestinians following the collapse of a sewerage system in the northern Gaza Strip [GALLO/GETTY]

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.

By Manal, a humanitarian worker working in partnership with Oxfam