Gazans fear worst after Hamas bans water wells
The Hamas-affiliated Water and Environmental Quality Authority to ban the digging of wells without a license, as many Gazans suffer from a lack of potable water.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Palestinians living in the border areas of the Gaza Strip rely on wells to secure drinking water and to irrigate their crops, as the Hamas-run local municipalities fail to assume their responsibility to supply water to these areas.
In an Aug. 25 statement, the Hamas-affiliated Water and Environment Quality Authority announced a ban against the digging of water wells in all Gaza governorates, under the pretext of fighting a severe decline in groundwater levels and quality due to over-exploitation of the aquifer into which the wells are drilled.
The authority said that its decision is based on the Palestinian Water Law No. 3 of 2002, which prohibits unlicensed drilling or exploration to obtain water, whether for public or private use.
It stated that the violators are subject to legal accountability and penalties as stipulated by the Water Law.
