Water desalination in the Gaza Strip: Al Salam RO brackish water desalination plant case study

Ongoing deterioration of the water supply of the Gaza strip poses a difficult challenge for water planners and sustainable management of the coastal aquifer. The aquifer is currently overexploited, with total pumping exceeding total recharge. In addition, anthropogenic sources of pollution threaten the water supplies in major urban centres. Many water quality parameters presently exceed World Health Organisation (WHO) drinking water standards. The major documented water quality problems are elevated chloride (salinity) and nitrate concentrations in the aquifer. Up to 95 per cent of Gaza’s population source their drinking water from 154 public or private producers, whose production and supply chain result in the potential contamination of up to 68% of drinking water supplies, exposing nearly 60% of the population to severe public health risks. This paper presents the details of the implementation of a medium scale brackish water desalination plant constructed in eastern Rafah – Gaza by Oxfam and its partner the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility.