Gaza, July 9 (Xinhua) -- An acute power shortage has caused deterioration of the environmental situation in the Gaza Strip since last April, the Hamas movement warned Sunday.
The Environment Quality Authority (EQA), run by the Islamic Hamas movement that rules Gaza Strip, said that directly pumping sewage into the sea due to long-time power outage has made 50 percent of the offshore sea polluted with waste water.
The polluted water may expand up to 70 percent in the foreseeable future, Baha'eddine Al-Agha, head of Hamas' Environment Protection Department, told a news conference.
There are five water sanitation plants in Gaza, with four pumping sewage into the sea and the fifth pumping into local reservoirs, causing pollution problems.
The EQA also called for end of the siege of Gaza by Israel to provide Gaza citizens with basic needs.
The coastal enclave needs 500 megawatts (MW) of power supply a day, but is receiving only 93 MW now.
The authority said that 70 MW out of the 93 MW are supplied by Israel, while 23 MW are generated by local plants. Egyptian power lines are disrupted due to technical problems, leaving Gaza with barely four hours of power a day.
