GAZA – A man in the Gaza Strip is using solar panels to clean water for his neighbors – a seemingly small gesture that has large consequences at a time when the region is in the midst of a humanitarian crisis.
“Yesterday, I filled this car with clean water from the well, 6,500 liters, and distributed it among people in need of water,” Mohammed Assalia told ABC News. “Some people use these wheelchairs to transport the water they fill, which is kinda sad but it does the thing.”
As the resource becomes more scarce, Assalia said he is now looking for a way to reach more people in the most devastated area of the Gaza Strip, six months since Israel declared war on Hamas. The high costs involved with the project may hinder his ability to do so without help, he says.
“With the solar-powered well in my house, at least 1,000 people benefited and received clean water every day,” Assalia said. “Now people from other neighborhoods have come to use it and we’re trying to help more by operating as many wells as possible.”
From my understanding the main reason why solar panels were so commonly imported to and so prized in Gaza in the last decade is because it’s the only way to ensure that you’ll reliably have power for at least some of the day to purify water, charge phones, etc… with how often the Israeli government cuts the power.
That’s a pretty accurate summary from my understanding as well, especially in times when the power is cut such as the current siege.