This is an excerpt from the 63-page report Gaza Strip: Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment released on April 20 by the UN, EU and World Bank. It is the section of the report on water and sewage.
Prior to the conflict, the Gaza Strip had quasi-universal access to improved sanitation and approximately 81 percent access to safely managed water, although underlying structural vulnerabilities persisted. Average water supply was approximately 82 liters per capita per day, with only about 17 percent of the population having sustainable access to safe drinking water, and more than 82 percent relying on costly water from
tanker trucks to meet basic needs. The coastal aquifer, the primary water source, was already severely degraded due to over-abstraction, saline intrusion, and pollution, rendering most groundwater unfit for human consumption. Of the estimated 96.2 million cubic meters of groundwater abstracted annually from approximately 306 wells, the majority were unsuitable for human consumption prior to the conflict. Drinking water relied heavily on three short-term low-volume desalination plants, bulk water imports from Israel, and a network of municipal and private small-scale desalination and water trucking services. The three short-term low-volume desalination plants supplied approximately 18,000 cubic meters per day, complemented by about 52,000 cubic meters per day imported through three bulk water connections and an additional 11,000 cubic meters per day supplied by municipal and private vendors. Wastewater infrastructure, while extensive, suffered from chronic under-capacity and financing constraints, with treatment systems already insufficient to meet growing demand. Institutional reforms were underway to consolidate service provision under a regional utility structure, but progress remained constrained by access restrictions, fiscal pressures, and dependence on external water and energy inputs.
Since the onset of the conflict in October 2023, the WASH sector has experienced widespread devastation, with estimated damages of US$1.7 billion and approximately 88 percent of above-ground assets and 76 percent of underground networks partially or fully damaged. All six wastewater treatment plants are non-functional, centralized wastewater treatment has completely halted, and 70 percent of sewage pumping stations are inoperable. One of the three main seawater desalination plants and two of three bulk water
supply connections are non-functional, severely constraining the Gaza Strip’s largest sources of safe water. Stormwater infrastructure has also been heavily impacted, with 88 percent of pumping stations damaged and basins increasingly contaminated with untreated sewage. Remote sensing-based damage assessments indicate that, while portions of underground networks may remain physically intact, their usability will depend on extensive field verification and hydraulic modeling once access permits.
Sector losses are estimated at US$675.3 million, driven primarily by the collapse of service delivery and the high costs of emergency response. With piped networks largely non-operational, approximately 77 percent of households rely on water trucking, making it the single largest operational cost to the sector. Additional losses stem from fuel expenditures to operate limited remaining facilities, emergency repairs, hygiene item
provision, and the establishment of over 1,300 temporary water distribution points. Institutional losses, including significant employment losses, have occurred across public institutions and the construction sector, further weakening service providers’ capacity to sustain operations and support recovery. The destruction of WASH services has had severe human and cross-sectoral impacts. Only a small fraction of the population now has access to piped drinking water, while the absence of wastewater treatment and solid waste services has sharply increased risks of waterborne disease, flooding, and environmental
contamination. Women and girls face disproportionate burdens related to domestic water use, with hundreds of thousands lacking adequate supplies and privacy. Health facilities, displacement sites, schools, commercial locations, and agricultural lands are operating under critical WASH constraints, undermining health outcomes, protection, and human dignity.
Recovery and Reconstruction Needs: US$4.24 billion
Total recovery needs are estimated at US$4.24 billion, encompassing both OpEx and CapEx required to restore and modernize the sector. Immediate priorities focus on life-saving interventions, including emergency water supply, energy provision to critical facilities, temporary sanitation solutions, hygiene item
distribution, and rapid repairs where feasible. In parallel, recovery efforts will initiate rehabilitation of bulk water supply systems, desalination plants, reservoirs, pumping stations, and water and sewer networks. Longer-term reconstruction will aim to restore pre-conflict service levels while building more resilient and sustainable WASH systems. Strategic investments will prioritize expanding desalination capacity, reducing reliance on exogenous water sources, integrating wastewater reuse and aquifer recharge, maximizing
renewable energy use, and rebuilding networks while maximizing redundancy and climate resilience. Institutional strengthening of the Palestinian Water Authority, utilities, and service providers will be essential, alongside coordinated access mechanisms for materials and equipment. Given the scale of needs and fiscal constraints, sustained international financial support and strong inter-agency coordination will be critical to enable recovery and ensure equitable, reliable, and sustainable WASH service delivery across Gaza.
