950,000 displaced people in Gaza exposed to flooding, according to WHO
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Echorouk
The WHO’s representative in the Palestinian territories, Reinhelde van de Weerdt, puts the number of displaced Gazans living in flood-prone areas at around 950,000, including 400,000 in highly exposed sites. She says recent rains are a warning of the months ahead, while the health system, short of fuel, is already operating beyond its capacity.
Around 950,000 displaced people in the Gaza Strip live in areas exposed to flooding, including 400,000 in sites at particularly high risk, according to Reinhelde van de Weerdt, who heads the WHO office in the Palestinian territories. She spoke by video link on Friday at the United Nations' weekly press briefing in Geneva.
Acute respiratory infections have risen by around 33,000 cases compared with the same period last year. They now account for 11% of medical consultations, she said, and this is before winter has arrived. Nearly nine health facilities have been damaged, and the rain is also hampering the movement of staff and patients. Health services, which she said are under intense attack, are already operating beyond their capacity, despite a severe shortage of fuel and medical supplies.
Families have seen their tents swept away by floodwaters, even though these are often their only shelter. She warns against the mixing of sewage, waste and contaminated water with the places where families sleep and eat, which increases the risk of disease spreading. The organisation considers the worst is still to come, even though winter has not yet truly begun, and calls for tents, resistant tarpaulins and waterproof sheeting to be allowed in, as well as equipment for drinking water and waste management.
