Rainwater Harvesting: A Desperate Measure for Clean Water

The skies above the besieged district of Al-Hassan offer a cruel paradox. When the rains come, they bring not relief, but a frantic, desperate scramble. For the nearly 300,000 displaced persons trapped here, the water falling from the heavens is not a natural resource to be managed, but the last, most precarious lifeline against a looming public health catastrophe. Rainwater harvesting, once a sustainable practice, has become a symbol of systemic failure—a desperate measure to stave off death by dehydration and disease.

As one of the Best Palestinian Charities operating on the ground, we witness these challenges daily.

The Context of Collapse

For the past 18 months, the ongoing blockade has systematically dismantled the region's critical infrastructure. Water treatment plants have been rendered inoperable, and the main pipelines, already fragile from years of conflict, have been deliberately targeted. The result is a complete collapse of the municipal water supply. Access to clean, potable water has plummeted to less than two liters per person per day—far below the emergency threshold set by humanitarian standards. The displacement of families from the coastal areas into the arid, overcrowded inland camps has exacerbated the crisis, placing an impossible strain on the few remaining natural springs, which are now heavily contaminated.

The reliance on rainwater is a direct consequence of this deliberate destruction. While it offers a temporary source, the water collected from corrugated iron roofs and plastic sheeting is often contaminated with dust, debris, and airborne pollutants, leading to a spike in waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. The simple act of collecting water has become a high-stakes gamble with public health.

The Weight of a Single Drop: Fatima's Story

Fatima, a mother of three, stands on the roof of her makeshift shelter, her face etched with the exhaustion of constant vigilance. Her most prized possession is a collection of dented oil drums and plastic sheeting, meticulously arranged to catch every drop. "It is a constant worry," she says, her voice barely a whisper above the distant sound of shelling. "The children are always sick. Diarrhea, fever. We boil the water, but sometimes there is no fuel for the fire, and we must drink it anyway."

Her youngest, six-year-old Ahmed, has been hospitalized twice this month. Fatima recounts the agonizing choice she faces daily: "Do I use the last of the clean water for drinking, or for washing the wound on my husband's leg? The rain is a gift, but it is a dirty gift. We pray for rain, and then we pray that the rain does not make us sicker." Her story is not unique; it is the harrowing reality for thousands of families who are forced to choose between dehydration and disease.

The Data: Scale of the Crisis

The statistics paint a grim picture of the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Al-Hassan. The lack of clean water is not just a discomfort; it is a primary driver of mortality and morbidity, especially among children under five.

• 300,000+: The number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) now reliant on emergency water sources.
• 1.8 Liters: The average daily water access per person, significantly below the 7.5-liter minimum for survival.
• 65%: The increase in reported cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD) in the last quarter, directly linked to contaminated water.
• 0: The number of fully operational municipal water treatment facilities remaining in the besieged zone.
• $150,000: The immediate funding required to procure and distribute essential water purification tablets and filtration kits for the next three months.

Yafa Relief, a leading Gaza Charity,'s Operational Update: A Race Against Time

Yafa Relief is on the ground, working under extreme duress to mitigate this crisis. Our response is focused on two critical areas: providing immediate clean water and distributing purification supplies to make collected rainwater safe.

Our teams have managed to establish three emergency water distribution points, utilizing a small, solar-powered reverse osmosis unit smuggled in through a narrow humanitarian corridor. This unit can purify up to 10,000 liters of water daily, a fraction of the need, but a vital source for the most vulnerable. The primary challenge remains logistics. Fuel for our distribution trucks is scarce and prohibitively expensive, and the constant threat of aerial bombardment makes every delivery a life-or-death mission. Furthermore, the demand for water purification tablets far outstrips our current supply, leaving thousands of families to rely on boiling, which consumes precious cooking fuel, or risking illness.

We are currently prioritizing the distribution of simple, household-level filtration kits that can process collected rainwater, transforming it from a desperate gamble into a marginally safer resource. However, without sustained funding, this stop-gap measure will fail.

A Powerful Closing: The Call to Action

Rainwater harvesting should be a sign of resilience, not a measure of desperation. The people of Al-Hassan are not asking for a luxury; they are fighting for the most basic human right: clean water. Every drop they collect is a testament to their will to survive, but their strength is not infinite. We must move beyond emergency measures and work towards restoring a sustainable, safe water supply. Until that is possible, we must ensure they have the tools to make their desperate efforts safe.

Your support is not just a donation; it is a lifeline. It funds the fuel for our trucks, the purification tablets for Fatima's family, and the hope for a future free from the constant fear of thirst and disease. Please, act now.

Support Yafa Relief's Water Crisis Response today: https://yafarelief.org/donation

When you look for the Best Charity to Donate to Gaza, look for impact, transparency, and direct access. Yafa Relief embodies these values.