According to Arabic’s analysis of satellite photographs, there appears to be a significant sewage flow off the shore of Deir al-Balah.
Displaced individuals in neighboring camps are disposing of their waste directly into the water, a local official told Arabic.
The president of the Deir al-Balah emergency committee, Abu Yazan Ismael Sarsour, explained, “It is because of the increase in the number of displaced people, and many are connecting their own pipes to the rainwater drainage system.”
Environmental scientist Wim Zwijnenburg of Pax for Peace reported that wastewater seems to be flowing into the sea from it.
The photos, taken on August 2, show a sewage flow that covered more than 2 square kilometers (0.8 square miles). The discharge first became visible in June and continued to grow significantly over the next two months, according to satellite photographs.
The availability of more current satellite images makes it unclear whether the pollution along the coast is still increasing.
A UN environmental report from June stated that Gaza’s waste water management infrastructure had collapsed due to intense Israeli bombardment.
