The environmental tragedy of Wadi Gaza after 60 years on the Palestine Nakba

Abstract

Wadi Gaza is one of the surface freshwater resources in Palestine. During the ancient era, many civilizations were established on its banks and neighboring areas. Since the Palestine Nakbah in 1948, Wadi Gaza was a place of running freshwater, fertile soil, condensed natural plants, wildlife and many natural resources. After the Israeli Occupation to the Gaza Strip in 1967, this situation in Wadi Gaza no long persisted. The resources were depleted and the total environment was deteriorated to the degree that Wadi Gaza is now crying with no respondents. The current study aims at determining the environmental tragedy of Wadi Gaza after 60 years passed from the Palestine Nakbah in 1948 through the available literature, field visits, meetings and discussions with the different parties. The study indicated that the environment of Wadi Gaza started its deterioration since 1970s after the establishment of upstream levee by the Israeli Occupation that prevented flowing waters from reaching the lower portion lying in the Gaza Strip. Wadi Gaza is suffering now from many problems including the drainage of untreated wastewater, solid waste disposal, destruction of natural habitats, cultural heritage and landscapes, hunting and poaching of wildlife, over-cutting of natural vegetation, over-grazing, and finally the proliferation of mosquitoes. The study concluded that the current environmental situation of Wadi Gaza is not promising and the deterioration will continue unless such efforts are put in action to rehabilitate and conserve the ecosystem in a sustainable fashion.