Palestine: Israel have cut the water supplies to large areas of the occupied West Bank during Ramadan, in a move often dubbed “water apartheid” by critics of Israel.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians left out without access to safe drinking water during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
The valves of the lines were shut down by state-run Israeli water company, Mekorot.
Israel has sanctioned water available to Palestinians living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ever since Israel’s occupation of the areas, which started in 1967.
Ayman Rabi, chief of Palestinian Hydrology Group said that some villages have not received water for more than a month. “People are relying on purchasing water from trucks or finding it from alternative sources such as springs and other filling points in their vicinity. Families are having to live on two, three or 10 litres per capita per day,” he said.
According to the UN, 7.5 litres per capita per day is the minimum requirement for most people under most conditions but in some areas of Palestine – where temperatures exceed 35 degrees celsius – the minimum requirement is much higher.
According to estimates, the Palestinians in the West Bank receive about 60 litres of water supply per person per day, compared to 350 litres of water per person for Israelis in the region.