A press statement warning of a humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Rafah due to the near-total electricity outage, calling for providing 6,500 liters of diesel daily.
Press Statement Issued by CMWU
Amid the complete outage of the electricity lines supplying Rafah city from the Egyptian side, which are the city's main source of electricity, following the recent security events in Sinai governorate, which has directly affected the near-total outage of electricity to Rafah city.
We at CMWU, amid these circumstances, warn of an imminent humanitarian and environmental catastrophe as a result of our inability to operate water and sanitation facilities, especially amid the current electricity situation in the city, where the average number of hours currently provided is 4 hours of connection against 20 hours of outage, which leads to great difficulty in operating sanitation and water facilities in the manner required for residents, who are in dire need of water in the holy month of Ramadan, especially in the summer season with the increased demand for water.
We appeal to all concerned parties and institutions for urgent assistance in providing the fuel quantities necessary to limit the effects of the current crisis, to enable us to provide the minimum level of services for delivering water to residents and prevent an environmental and health catastrophe resulting from an expected overflow of sewage collection plants, as we are in dire need of providing 6,500 liters of diesel daily, an amount that exceeds our capacity to provide.
Here we affirm the poor humanitarian situation in Rafah governorate and warn of the continuation of the electricity outage and the shortage of fuel quantities necessary to operate water and sanitation facilities, and we appeal to all responsible parties and international community institutions, foremost among them: the United Nations, UNRWA, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Office of the Special Representative for Humanitarian Affairs, and human rights institutions, to move immediately to solve this serious crisis and avert a catastrophe in the water and sanitation sector in Rafah governorate as a result of the continuing electricity outage in the city.
