Setp. 10, 2009)

Gaza Strip, September 9, 2009 (Pal Telegraph)- In mid-2006 after some Palestinians fighters had captured the Israeli soldier Sahlit, Israeli warplanes destroyed the six transformers of Gaza's only power plant. The plant, completed in 2002, was able during that time to produce up to 140 megawatts. Since the destruction, eight smaller transformers have been installed, with a maximum production 80 megawatts. The power production was incredibly reduced.

Following the bombing of the power plant, Israel increased its supply of electricity to Gaza. Israel provides the strip with only very little amounts of electricity and detracts the cost of electricity from tax incomes that it gathers on behalf of the PA.

Electricity is distributed in Gaza by the Gaza Electricity Distribution Company. The Gaza electrical grid is not that all fixed; it was originally installed by Israel and later expanded as needed. For instance, there is no electrical grid that covers all power needs of the Gaza Strip; there is a network connected to Gaza's power station in AL-Nuseirat, a network connected to Egypt and networks connected to the Israeli feeders. The Gaza Strip receives its electricity from three different parts.

The Gaza Electricity Distribution Company has no central room to control and manage the electricity it gets. When it needs to redistribute electricity to share power cuts, engineers must go to manually pull a switch. Due to repeated use, many of these switches fall in disrepair. Besides. This would endanger the lives of those engineers. Sometimes Gaza residents again switch their electricity putting the whole system into overload. According to the company, the biggest part of the problem is caused due to technical problems and the lack of spare parts and.

The majority of Gazan families have power cuts of at least 6 hours per day. Some others have no electricity for longer than that. Power cuts hence place tremendous pressure on the Gaza's power system affecting water and sewerage infrastructure, disrupting household chores and healthcare delivery and adding more agony to the lives of Gazans.

Power failure impacts all aspects of life. With power cuts, the Gaza's water authority (CMWU) can't pump water and distribute water nor process sewage. Also because of power cuts, hospitals are forced to suspend operations, and children, who constitutes more than half of the population, are at the risk of health problems related to contaminated water and the run-down sanitation.

All vital life sections such as hospitals, schools, even the CMWU have been severely affected by power cuts. As a result, they now depend on emergency generators to keep normal services. The CMWU has been caught into a dilemma as how to get rid of sewage; It had no other choice but dump waste water into the sea. This has worsened an existing dangerous situation; the sea has been turned into a huge hotbed of waterborne diseases.

The limited supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip is placing ever-increasing pressure on the delivery of basic services in health, education, water and sanitation to Gaza's growing population. The current restrictions on borders ban imports of spare parts & machinery, and therefore exacerbate an already collapsing life as the provision of basic necessities is being diminished on daily basis. The situation is disastrous, and there is a growing concern that it will lead to further decline in the standard of living for the residents of the Gaza Strip.

Mohammed S. El-Nadi,

PT exclusive writer.