Freshwater from natural sources are depleted in Palestine, and the coastal aquifer is the only water source for more than 1.8 million people in the Gaza Strip who consume nearly 170 million cubic meters per year, of which 90 million cubic meters for human consumption and 80 million cubic meters for agricultural consumption.

A statistical report drafted by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics on March 22, 2014, and published by the Palestinian News and Information Agency indicated that demographic development in Palestinian society has led to a rise in the demand for water, and that it is crucial to achieve the goals of sustainable development. The report states, “Limited water resources affect the quantity of water available, which was 349.2 million cubic meters in 2012. Of these, 56.6 million cubic meters were purchased from the Israeli water company, Mekorot, constituting 28% of the water supplied to domestic consumers, in addition to iniquitous pumping from the coastal aquifer in the Gaza Strip that reached 130 million cubic meters.”

Al-Monitor met some citizens in Gaza who believe the seawater desalination project has become an essential need. They indicated that there is no implementation problem but rather the main problem lies in the economics and high costs of such projects, as well as the Israeli restrictions impeding their implementation in the Gaza Strip.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, the governor for Palestine at the Islamic Development Bank, told Al-Monitor, “There is an agreement between the donor countries and the Islamic Development Bank on the call for a conference to obtain new pledges for the water desalination project in the Gaza Strip. The completion of this project is scheduled for the end of 2020 at a cost of $500 million, of which $140 million are allocated for the transmission line and $35 million for the rehabilitation of existing networks.”