GAZA, (PIC)
Since the beginning of this year, amidst the ongoing Israeli aggression that has targeted every aspect of life in Gaza resulting in widespread death and destruction, the Gaza Municipality has not ceased calling for urgent assistance regarding the critical danger level at Sheikh Ridwan Pool. This situation has worsened, especially with the onset of the winter season.
The municipality’s appeals highlight the ongoing risks that threaten the lives of Gaza’s residents, particularly those living near the pool, which was filled with rainwater mixed with sewage. This poses a severe threat to hundreds of homes and the lives of their inhabitants.
Today, the dangers posed by Sheikh Ridwan Pool are extremely grave for the people of Gaza. Once a source of clean water for various uses, it has now become a source of anxiety and continuous threat—not just from the risk of drowning, but also due to pollution and the diseases and epidemics it has caused after becoming contaminated.
Sheikh Ridwan Pool is located in the Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood, west of Gaza City in the northern part of the Strip. The pool has a capacity of 11 meters and covers an area of 56 dunums at the bottom and 80 dunums at the surface, with a total volume of 600,000 cubic meters of water, equipped with five water pumps before its destruction by the Israeli occupation army. It was meant to pump water to the Mediterranean Sea. As the lowest area in the city, it serves as the central collection point for rainwater in Gaza.
Warnings and appeals
The Gaza Municipality has confirmed that the water level in the rainwater collection pool at Sheikh Ridwan has reached a very critical level. The municipality reported that the pool was now filled with contaminated water due to sewage leaks, and the municipality is unable to drain it because of the damage inflicted by Israeli airstrikes on the drainage line, electrical generators, pumps, and other facilities associated with the pool. The sewage pumps have ceased functioning due to the destruction of the infrastructure.
Warning of the potential of overflow as new rain falls, the municipality urged international and local organizations to intervene swiftly to address the situation in the pool and assist in bringing in the necessary pipes and fuel for drainage maintenance as part of a project funded by the Arab International Authority for the Reconstruction of Palestine.
Solutions on the horizon
In this context, the Higher Committee for Reconstruction in Palestine has announced the commencement of a project to drain Sheikh Ridwan Pool in Gaza, aimed at repairing the pumping lines connecting the pool to the shores of Gaza. Engineer Ahmad Samara Al-Zou’bi, head of the committee and president of the Jordanian Engineers Association, announced in a press release that efforts have succeeded in bringing in the necessary materials to begin urgent project implementation.
The committee is working in collaboration with the Palestinian Water Authority and in coordination with Egyptian authorities to supply HDPE pipes with a diameter of 630 mm over a total length of 700 meters, to restore the pumping lines from Sheikh Ridwan Pool to the sea, thereby draining the pool during the winter season and preventing flooding in the surrounding area.
The committee is diligently working with its field teams to assess the essential needs of donors and funders to implement vital and strategic projects that help citizens in Gaza overcome the challenges and hardships amidst the ongoing war.
It is noteworthy that the Higher Committee for Reconstruction in Palestine has undertaken infrastructure projects during the current aggression against Gaza, such as the repair of the Makarot Bani Suheila line in Khan Yunis and various other projects.
Disasters at Sheikh Ridwan Pool
Historically, Gazans recall how heavy rainfall in December 2013, caused by the Alexa storm, led to flooding at Sheikh Ridwan Pool, which resulted in the drowning of some homes in the Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood and the closure of several areas.
Since 2015, relevant authorities have been making strenuous efforts, backed by significant budgets, to implement the rehabilitation project for Sheikh Ridwan Pool. This strategic and important project aims to end the flooding crisis in the surrounding areas during the upcoming winter season.
The project commenced at that time with the extension of a water transport line from the pool to the coastal road to the west, at a cost of $3 million, funded by Qatari grants. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing has made considerable efforts to finance this project, and its equipment and machinery worked for days during the crisis at the beginning of 2015 to dig a nearby water pool for drainage in Al-Wahidi, which has a capacity of 300,000 cubic meters.
Severe damage to the pool
Due to the aggression against Gaza in 2023, Sheikh Ridwan Pool has been contaminated and has become unsuitable for drinking and use, turning into a breeding ground for harmful insects. This contamination is estimated to involve around one million cubic meters of sewage water, resulting from the Israeli army’s destruction of sewage transport lines 5, 6, and 7B, as well as the drainage infrastructure in northern Gaza. The pumps and backup generators used to remove the contaminated water were also destroyed.
Subsequently, experimental pumps were installed for the rainwater collection pool in Sheikh Ridwan, and initial repairs were made. Residents of the Sheikh Ridwan neighborhood are still waiting and hoping that the pool issue will be resolved before the onset of heavy rainfall, which could exacerbate the disaster if the pool overflows with contaminated water. They are deeply concerned about whether the occupation and its military will allow the project to proceed by permitting all necessary equipment and tools to enter and enabling technical teams to work until the project is completed and the pool crisis is resolved.
