Author(s)

Samer Abuzerr¹, Simin Nasseri^2,3*, Masud Yunesian^2,4*, Samir Yassin⁵, Mahdi Hadi³, Amir Hossein Mahvi^2,3, Ramin Nabizadeh², Mohamed Al Agha⁶, Amal Sarsour⁷, Maher Darwish⁸

¹Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
²Department of Environmental Health Engineering, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
³Center for Water Quality Research (CWQR), Institute for Environmental Research (IER), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁴Department of Research Methodology and Data Analysis, Institute for Environmental Research, TUMS, Tehran, Iran.
⁵Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
⁶Department of Environment and Earth Science Department, The Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza, Palestine.
⁷Earth and Human Center for Researches and Studies, Gaza Strip, Palestine.
⁸Department of Pharmacy, Al-Safwa University College, Al-Safwa, Iraq.

Water quality and occurrence of water-borne diseases in the Gaza strip are vivid examples for most developing societies. In recent years, the quality and quantity of groundwater, the only source of waters in the Gaza strip, have deteriorated markedly. A general rundown of the infrastructure and water distribution networks, in particular, the spread of cesspools, excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, and improper treatment and disposal of wastewater remain major contributing factors to the continued deterioration in the water status in the Gaza strip. Without a doubt, the (Israeli)-Palestinian conflict had a clear negative impact on the water sector in the Gaza strip. Apparently, there is a dire need to adopt the WHO’s water safety plan in the management of Gaza’s water supply systems from catchment to consumer’s tap in order to maintain the sustainability and quality of water resources and prevent outbreaks of waterborne diseases. Therefore, this review has been prepared to highlight the overall picture of the water dilemma in the Gaza strip in the last years and in addition, to identify the sources, sorts, levels, and health risks of consequence to microbial contamination of water. The impact of political conflicts on the water sector in the Gaza strip also was reviewed. Furthermore, recommendations were formulated in order to assist and guide future researchers, stakeholders, and policymakers to avoid the more exacerbation of water contamination as well as to protect public health.

Fecal Coliforms, Gaza Strip, Microbiological Water Contamination, Public Health, Total Coliforms, Waterborne Diseases

Abuzerr, S. , Nasseri, S. , Yunesian, M. , Yassin, S. , Hadi, M. , Mahvi, A. , Nabizadeh, R. , Agha, M. , Sarsour, A. and Darwish, M. (2019) Microbiological Quality of Drinking Water and Prevalence of Waterborne Diseases in the Gaza Strip, Palestine: A Narrative Review. Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection, 7, 122-138. doi: 10.4236/gep.2019.74008.