Gaza, ALRAY - Minister of Local Government Mohammed al- Farra said that the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007 disrupted 21 projects in the fields of water and sanitation.

The  projects  were negatively affected due to the closure of the crossings with Gaza and the ban on entry of construction materials which are necessary to fulfill  several halted projects, al-Farra clarified Thursday.

He pointed out that the costs of the stalled water projects reached about  $15m. The most important ones are the desalination of sea water project  in Dair al- Balah, south of the Gaza Strip cost $12m, construction of water tank an a pumping station project in Deir al- Balah cost $1m.

The Lack of raw materials stopped completing the second phase of rainwater collection project in al- Jenina neighborhood in Rafah cost $271.1m, Al-Farra added, pointing out that several projects were delayed  due to the closure of the crossings, especially the projects of establishing water wells in al- Qarrara , Bait-Lahia, and al-Salqa valley. 

Total costs of the projects which are being carried out in wastewater field caused by the lack of raw materials exceeded $4m, al-Farra said.

Al-Alfarra hoped international community and  organizations to pressure on the Israeli occupation in order to lift the siege imposed on  the Gaza Strip and allow the entry of  necessary materials to the Gaza strip to continue those projects. He considered that Israeli occupation is responsible for the deteriorating situation in the strip.