Clean Water Relief: Providing a Lifeline to the Global Water Crisis

A concerning number of people across the globe lack access to safe, clean drinking water. This water crisis has devastating impacts on health. Polluted water is the birthplace of many waterborne diseases. However, organizations dedicated to clean water relief are working for long-term solutions. Constructing water wells, and water pumps is a sustainable solution. Your donation can be the lifeline for these communities. You can help families break free from the disease caused by lack of access to clean water. UMR has provided development and humanitarian help for over a decade. You can take a look at umrelief.org to make your decision on clear water charities.

Gaza's Water Crisis: A Humanitarian Emergency

An Al Jazeera news stated that people in Gaza get only 1.5 to 2 liters of water per day. This is much less than they need to survive. Gaza’s water crisis is a serious problem that is putting public health at risk. This is a humanitarian emergency that demands immediate action. You can help provide long-term solutions such as building new wells. You can donate to reputable clean water charities working in Gaza. Your generous contribution will deliver clean water to affected communities and save lives. Every donation, no matter the size, brings relief and hope to those impacted by Gaza’s water crisis. Visit UMR water well donation today. Be part of the solution to this devastating situation.

Donation For Water Wells

Having access to clean water is a basic human right. Still, it is denied to millions of people worldwide.

Building water wells is one of the most efficient ways to supply populations with clean water. A water well can supply a whole neighborhood with a dependable source of safe drinking water for many years.

We can genuinely improve the lives of individuals who lack access to clean water by making a donation for water wells. So let’s work together to support this cause. Together, we can make it easier for those who most need it to have access to safe water.

Donate Now

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Today, less than 4% of freshwater is safe to drink. Sewage pollution has contaminated the sea nearby. However, the global community is not doing enough to safeguard the health and dignity of nearly 2 million individuals who are without a place to go. Gaza water pollution

Emergency Crisis

Gaza has long struggled with access to clean water and sanitary facilities. But now an emergency exists there. Its twofold water issue entails both a lack of sewage sanitation and a shortage of drinkable water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene. As a result, Gaza regularly discharges approximately 108,000 cubic meters of untreated sewage into the Mediterranean Sea, posing serious risks to the public’s health in Gaza, Israel, and Egypt. 

Even though these problems have been around for a long time, the water crisis and health worries about drinking water have gotten worse.

There are many reasons for this, such as :

• Infrastructure is breaking down quickly 
• Strict import restrictions on building materials and water pumps 
• The energy supply is unstable and getting less

The restoration of Gaza’s water and sanitation sectors has been further hampered by wars between Israel and Hamas since 2009 and an internal Palestinian conflict between Hamas and Fatah.

Causes of the Water Crisis

War is the main cause of  Gaza water pollution. Gaza water distribution supply has been greatly disrupted by the Israeli-Palestinian war. The main water sources in the area, including the Jordan River and the Coastal Aquifer, are under Israel’s authority. Israel limits the amount of clean water that is accessible to Palestinians by limiting the amount of water allotted to Gaza. It has affected the people of Gaza in many ways. Here are some of the destructions which break the water system in Gaza completely –

Collapsed Infrastructure

Gaza’s water system has been in bad shape for years. Because :

• Years of neglect 
• Inadequate maintenance
• Damage caused by wars 

The aging infrastructure is prone to leaks, inefficiencies, and frequent breakdowns. It results in significant water losses. The deteriorating infrastructure further limits the availability and accessibility of clean water for the population.

Import Bans On Materials

The restrictions on what Gaza can import, especially building materials, make it very hard to build and keep up good water facilities. This includes putting limits on the import of pipes, pumps, and other tools needed for water and sewage systems. Because there aren’t enough of these important materials, it’s hard to build new infrastructure and fix the damage, which makes the water problem worse.

Insufficient Energy Supply

Gaza depends on energy a lot to run water pumps, desalination plants, and facilities that clean up waste water. But Gaza’s energy supply is very irregular because of things like 

• Fuel shortages
• Limited access to electricity
• Damage to power facilities caused by wars

When there isn’t enough energy, water facilities can’t work properly. This makes it harder to make, treat, and distribute clean water, which makes the water problem worse.

Impact Of Water Crisis In Gaza

The impact of water crisis in Gaza is greater than anyone’s imagination. Here are some of the key effects:

Limited Access to Clean Water

Gaza’s population faces severe challenges in accessing sufficient quantities of safe and clean water for drinking, cooking, and personal hygiene. Due to water scarcity, households often receive water for only a few hours every few days, leading to rationing and difficulties in meeting basic needs.

Health and Hygiene Challenges

Inadequate access to clean water and poor sanitation facilities contribute to numerous health risks. Contaminated water sources and the lack of proper wastewater treatment systems increase the spread of waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, and typhoid. Limited water availability also hampers proper hygiene practices. It leads to poor sanitation and an increased risk of infections and illnesses.

Impact on Agriculture and Food Security

The water crisis has had a significant impact on agricultural activities and food production in Gaza. Limited water resources restrict irrigation for crops, negatively affecting agricultural productivity. Farmers face difficulties in growing crops, resulting in reduced yields and lower-quality produce. This situation jeopardizes food security for the population, leading to increased dependence on food aid and imports.

Economic Consequences 

The water Palestine crisis imposes economic burdens on individuals and communities. As water becomes scarce, the cost of purchasing water from alternative sources increases, putting financial strain on households already facing economic challenges. Additionally, the limited availability of water restricts economic activities such as small-scale industries, hampering job opportunities and economic development.

Gender Disparities and Burden

Women and girls in Gaza bear a disproportionate burden due to the water crisis. In many households, women are primarily responsible for collecting and managing water. The scarcity of water in Gaza is impacting the women greatly..

Humanitarian Efforts and International Response

There hasn’t been much international financing to support immediate humanitarian initiatives, complete reconstruction, and revive the private sector economy. This covers medium- to long-term infrastructure initiatives in the fields of public health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), and energy. 

A $244 million financing shortfall was mentioned as a hindrance to the 2014 war’s reconstruction, which included harm to homes, hospitals, and water and energy infrastructure. After the conflict, international donors pledged $3.5 billion for rehabilitation, but only $1.5 billion has actually been paid out. This illustration brings to light one of the most difficult financing issues surrounding Gaza: a lack of donor follow-through. Furthermore, less than half of the $547 million Humanitarian Response Plan for the Palestinian Territories for 2017, which is primarily focused on Gaza, has been allocated. The WASH component is notably underfunded in Gaza.

United Mission for Relief & Development (UMR) has been working hard to solve the water problem in Gaza. They have worked on many water relief projects to help the Palestinian people and find long-term answers to their problems. Their work includes giving out emergency water supplies when there is a severe lack of water, putting in place systems to clean water in communities, and fixing up water facilities. 

UMR also works on education and awareness programmes to teach people how to save water, practise good hygiene, and understand how important it is to manage water in a sustainable way. They with local partners are still fighiting to find long-term solutions to Gaza’s water problem. Your donation will help them to assure safe water for the people of Gaza.

Potential Solutions and Future Outlook

Gaza water crisis solutions are not impossible but hard to implement. Here are some of the possible solutions for the water crisis in Gaza –

1. Increase the quantity and consistency of Gaza’s electricity supply through various investments and infrastructure improvements.
2. Advance the “161kV Line” project to enhance the transmission of electricity to and within Gaza.
3. Upgrade and expand the electricity transmission network in Gaza to ensure efficient distribution.
4. Restore the fuel storage tank at the Gaza Power Plant and connect it to a natural gas pipeline to improve the power generation capacity.
5. Invest in solar energy to diversify the energy sources and reduce reliance on external suppliers.
6. Explore the development of the Gaza Marine gas field to enhance the availability of natural gas for power generation.
7. Increase the supply of purchased power from Egypt to augment the electricity supply in Gaza.
8. Ensure a consistent supply of electricity for the Khan Yunis Short-Term Low-Volume desalination plant, enabling continuous water production.
9. Improve fee collection mechanisms to cover the ongoing cost of electricity and support sustainable operations.
10. Investing in new solar energy initiatives could increase the resilience of crucial infrastructure.

Gaza Needs Help

To implement the solutions mentioned above, Gaza needs a tremendous amount of funding from all over the world. We all should come forward and help to solve the water crisis in Gaza. Donate to international organizations working for Palestine like UMR. One small donation will impact greatly on the lives of the people in Gaza.

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Sufferings of People

Three-quarters of the people live in rural areas, where things like running water and clean toilets are often considered luxuries. Bangladesh has one of the fastest rates of urbanization in Asia. Most of the 7 million people live in urban slums. Their numbers are growing quickly. They don’t have access to clean water, toilets, waste disposal systems, or sewer drainage.

The rural poor and people living in urban slums often have to drink and cook with unprotected surface water. Because they don’t have access to water supply infrastructure like tube wells and pipes.

World Bank’s Agglomeration Index is an alternative measure of urban concentration.  According to them, a lot of urbanization in Bangladesh is not included in official definitions and statistics. With poor WASH coverage and community awareness, an undercounted rural population moving to cities poses a high risk of disease outbreaks.

UMR’s funded project has given 112 deep, semi-deep, and shallow tube wells to 4,304 rural and urbanizing beneficiaries. And conducted beneficiary sensitization training on water safety, benefits of safe water, personal/environmental hygiene and maintenance of wells.

Beneficiary Feedback for Our Project

Below are the most common examples of beneficiary feedback, indicative of the general living conditions of the recipient population:

1. Traveling long distances for water and spread of water-borne disease:

[S.J.] (Aged 52) is a marginal farmer. His family comprises 6 members: “We collected safe water from a far distance. He said, “We could not install the tube well due to lack of money. Most people in this area have been suffering from water-borne diseases for a long time. The people of this area are very poor. […] After the field survey, UMR installed a new shallow tube well. Now we are getting safe water for drinking and domestic uses.” 

2. Use of unprotected, unimproved surface water and spread of water-borne disease:

[A.S.] (aged 38) is a Rickshaw Puller. His family consists of 7 members. He said “We could not install the tube well due to lack of money. We used pond water. Most of the people in this area have been suffering from water-borne diseases for a long time. We were collecting water from a far distance. The people of this area are very poor. After the field visit, UMR installed a new shallow tube well. Now we are getting pure water for drinking and domestic uses.” 6

3. Water available only in neighboring villages, and the spread of water-borne disease:

[M. A. H.] (age-55) is a poor mer. He said, “We had no tube well before this tube well was installed. The people of this area are very poor. We were collecting drinking water from the neighboring villages. Most people in this area have been suffering from water-borne diseases for a long time. We could not install the tube well due to a shortage of funds. After the field survey, UMR installed a new shallow tube well. So, we are pleased. Now we are getting fresh water for drinking and domestic uses.”

For more information:

• UNICEF (2012) Bangladesh SHEWA-B Factsheet.
• UNICEF (2012) Bangladesh SHEWA-B Factsheet.
• UNICEF (2012) Bangladesh SHEWA-B Factsheet.
• World Bank (2015) Bangladesh Country Brief.

Recorded by Muhammad Kotha Wala 7846 – July 2015. Address of the beneficiary: Upazila: Bagharpara, District: Jessore.

Recorded by Hadia Hamuri 7296 – July 2015. Address of the beneficiary: Upazila: Bagharpara, District: Jessore.

Recorded by Abul Azad 9029 – July 2015. Address of the beneficiary: Upazila: Jessore Sadar, District: Jessore.

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Impacts of Water Crisis

Water crisis leads to diseases such as cholera among women and children. This problem is especially prevalent in developing countries. In 2016, below-average rainfall and El Nino had a severe impact on livelihoods. It also affected the food and water systems, across the Horn of Africa. Because of insufficient water resources, many countries are currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis. Somalia is present among these listed countries.

Water Wells for Somalia

What a water well can do is transform a community. It can ensure that households always have access to clean water. 

This ensures the safety of their water for consumption. Also ensures hygiene practices including wudu, agriculture, and animal husbandry. This will allow them to spend less time each day collecting water. And more time learning, working and caring for their families. 

The future of the children will not be grim. They will be able to play, learn, and do all the things that a healthy young mind should. 

The availability of clean water can open a path out of poverty and into a better, brighter future for people.

Contributions of UMR

UMR WASH Project focuses on improving the availability of clean water and sanitation. It will benefit 2,500 vulnerable households located in IDP camps and host communities in the Gedo Region, Somalia. 

This program is going to be successful. It will involve the renovation of existing water sources. We will install water Purification systems. Supply of suitable hygiene facilities, which will include latrines will also be installed. Also, qualified hygiene promoters will carry seminars on hygiene promotion. This will help to encourage beneficial behavioral change.

At Last

Somalian women and children have to walk for miles to reach clean water. They have to go through dangerous locations for this. United Mission for Relief & Development is trying to help.

UMR is currently constructing water wells in distant regions of Somalia. To help the people of Somalia, we will continue our project.

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1. There is an access of 91% to improved water sources in Pakistan. But 88% of the water supplied is unsafe.
2. Pakistan is running out of fresh water at a high rate. It’s anticipated that it is likely to suffer a shortage of 31 million acre-feet of water by 2025. 

The shortfall will be devastating for a country with an agriculture-bas

Water Utilization and Agriculture

Approximately 95 % of fresh water is utilized for irrigation. Yet the country is achieving a lower per-acre crop production. In addition, nearly 70% of Pakistan’s population is directly or indirectly associated with agriculture. This accounts for 26 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP).

Furthermore, the majority of the 25 million people not using a toilet live in poor rural households or insecure urban informal settlements. 3 This makes them the most difficult to reach. Exponential population growth in Pakistan has also dramatically changed the calculus of water demand, resulting in a reduced water availability per capita. The shortage of access to clean drinking water is becoming grave concern in Pakistan where many health problems are caused by water not meeting the basic needs of people either because of scarcity or contamination. UMR works closely with poor rural villages in order to address this equity problem as well as accelerate the rural communities to catch up with their 2030 SDG targets.

UMR’s funded project has delivered 93 modified shallow wells, open surface wells, and shallow wells to approximately 393,000 rural beneficiaries. More than 10,000 Women, Children and Elders Accessed to the Cleanby Construction of Pakistan Water Wells Sanitation and Hygiene Program.

Below are most common examples of beneficiary feedback, indicative of general living conditions of the recipient population:

1. Hardships of in Getting Clean Drinking Water (Heat + Long Distance)

Sanitation Challenges and Population Growth

1. The majority of the 25 million people not using a toilet live in poor rural households or insecure urban informal settlements. This makes them the most difficult to reach.
2. Exponential population growth in Pakistan has also dramatically changed the calculus of water demand. It results in reduced water availability per capita.
3. The shortage of access to clean drinking water is becoming a grave concern in Pakistan. Because many health problems are caused by water.

UMR’s Efforts to Address Water Inequity

UMR (organization name) has implemented projects to address water inequity in rural areas.

Approximately 393,000 beneficiaries have received –

• Modified shallow wells, 
• Open surface wells, and 
• Shallow wells.

Through these initiatives, over 10,000 women, children, and elders have gained access to clean water Pakistan Water Wells

Beneficiary Feedback

Below are the most common examples of beneficiary feedback, indicative of the general living conditions of the recipient population:

Hardships of Getting Clean Drinking Water (Heat + Long Distance)

Context: Tando Muhammad Khan District is a district in the southern part of Sindh province in Pakistan. Summers are the hottest in Tando Muhammad Khan. Due to climatic change, there have been droughts in Tando Muhammad Khan due to which day-to-day activities have become unattainable. The poor community of TM KHAN had already submitted applications to Muslim Aid Pakistan Field Office for providing safe drinking water.  

The humanitarian team constituted a committee for conducting the survey to confirm the place and community concerns for which the applications are received. Muslim Aid Pakistan Humanitarian team scrutinized the applications and gave priority to the most deserving ones. After the survey, we hired a vendor along with laborers and a digging machine. We monitored and evaluated the work regularly until completion.

Testimony: The resident of Tando Muhammad Khan expressed with gratitude that providing clean drinking water to the poor community is really praiseworthy service. He also added that before the execution of this well the people were facing many hardships in getting clean drinking water by walking miles away and also there had been many problems.

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UMR Kenya has been working for years bringing shallow wells and boreholes to areas in need.

In September 2019, UMR completed the construction of 4 water wells in Garissa County, Kenya. Prior to this construction, women and children had to walk for miles, oftentimes though unsafe areas, to reach water that was not even clean.

In Wajir County, Kenya is a water-deficient county with no perennial rivers. Only 7% of residents use improved sanitation. In February 2020, UMR completed the construction of 2 shallow water wells in two villages in Kenya. Now that construction is complete, approximately 300 families will benefit from the clean water brought from the wells. Of these households, 6 families have orphans and 13 families have persons living with disabilities.

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In parallel, ground water is widely used for domestic water supply in Cambodia and is increasingly being used for small scale irrigation. It is proposed that small scale pump irrigation from groundwater can circumvent the large investments in storage and transmission infrastructure required for surface water irrigation.³

UMR’s funded project has delivered 20 water wells, hand pump wells, and shallow tube ring wells for 1,368 rural beneficiaries, and conducted beneficiary sensitization trainings on water safety, benefits of safe water, personal/environmental hygiene and maintenance of wells.

Below are most common examples of beneficiary feedback, indicative of general living conditions of the recipient population:

1. Seasonal water shortage during drought (April-June), and use of unprotected unimproved surface water:

• Context: Slaeng village situates not too far from Kompong Thom town, however, there is no running water supplies available or connection from the town. This village has faced with drought issue during April to June this year. The people in this village have to pay for water consumptions from local water suppliers.
• Testimony: “We have to go collect water from differences sources, sometimes from ponds and sometimes from somebody’s wells. Every year, especially in dry season, we always face water shortage. We have to buy water costing 7,000 KH-Riels (1.75US Dollar) per jar from local suppliers. We are now very, very excited and happy that Muslim Aid and UMR had installed clean water well for our families. We no longer walk anywhere for water anymore because now we have water well nearby. Thanks so much to Muslim Aid and UMR.” said Mr. Cheng Choup (49 year-old).⁴</>

2. Double burden for women and girls:

• Context: Muslim Aid Cambodia (MAC) field staff in collaboration with Kampong Thom Provincial Department of Rural Development (PDRD) and local authorities identified that a number of households in Chamna village, Sala Visai commune, Prasat Ballangk district had lack access to clean and safe water. PDRD and commune have expressed their concern of the lack and difficulty of these people in this village. Selected beneficiaries are the poor farmers and have no capabilities to affordably pay for a water-well installation.
• Testimony: “Before I go to school, I have to collect water from somebody’s well for my family. But now I am very happy that has water well nearby. I do not need to go far for water anymore, says Sr. Saphorn, 12 years old, a daughter of Sam Sokha, who is living in Chamna village, Sala Visai commune, Prasat Ballangk district of Kampong Thom Province.” ⁵

3. Groundwater use for small scale irrigation

• Context: A number of households in Prasat village, Prasat commune, San Tuk district had lack access to clean and safe water.

Testimony: Mr. Sam Phang (47 years old), a father of three children and a disability people who is living in Prasat village, Prasat commune, San Tuk district of Kampong Thom province. He is a poor farmer that has no ability to pay for well installation. But now after his family got this water well from UMR they plant crop and vegetable for supporting their family. They are so happy.” ⁶

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