بلدية غزة تحذر: كارثة صحية تلوح في الأفق بسبب طفح محتمل لبركة الشيخ رضوان

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Gaza Municipality Urges Immediate Fuel Supply to Avert Imminent Disaster
Gaza Municipality Warns of Looming Health Catastrophe Due to Potential Overflow of Sheikh Radwan Pond

The Gaza Municipality warns of an imminent threat posed by the rainwater collection pond in the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, as the water level continues to rise to a critically dangerous point. This situation presents a real danger to the lives of residents living in the vicinity of the pond, amid persistent fears of an overflow, given that the pond is filled with untreated wastewater.
The Municipality explained that the water level in the pond has risen to approximately 6.10 meters due to the continuous daily inflow of wastewater, increasing by around 30 centimeters each day. At the same time, the operating hours of the pond’s drainage pumps have been reduced because of a shortage of fuel needed to operate the pumps, remove the incoming wastewater, and lower the wastewater level in the Sheikh Radwan Pond.
The Municipality further stated that the accumulation of large quantities of wastewater in the pond has created a severe environmental and public health crisis in the area, due to foul odors and harmful insects that significantly increase the risk of disease outbreaks and epidemics.
The Municipality warned of the danger of wastewater seeping into the groundwater aquifer, which could result in severe contamination and consequences that threaten public health and the environment.
The Municipality stressed its urgent need for approximately 15,000 liters of fuel per week to operate the pumps for at least 15 hours daily, as an emergency measure to mitigate the risk, contain the disaster, and reduce the wastewater level in the pond to a level that no longer poses a threat to residents’ lives.
The direct targeting of sewage networks and facilities, along with the shutdown of wastewater pumping stations, has forced the diversion of sewage flows into the pond originally designated for rainwater collection due to the lack of alternatives. This has further exacerbated the scale of the crisis facing the city.
Gaza Municipality appeals to international organizations for immediate intervention and assistance in providing the necessary fuel and essential resources to mitigate the humanitarian disaster unfolding in the city and to reduce the risk of the pond overflowing.