Alwaght- Israeli regime has cut water supplies to major areas in the West Bank as sweltering heat is a big challenge for tens of thousands of Muslims who are fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.
Israel's national water company, Mekorot, is enacting "water apartheid" policy against areas as the municipality of Jenin, several villages in the Nablus area, and the city of Salfit and its surrounding villages.
Ayman Rabi, the executive director of the Palestinian Hydrology Group, was quoted by Al Jazeera as saying on Tuesday that in some areas, people had not received water for more than 40 days.
"People are relying on purchasing water from water trucks or finding it from alternative sources such as springs and other filling points in their vicinity,” he said.
"Families are having to live on two, three or 10 liters per capita per day,” he added.
The city of Jenin, which has a population of more than 40,000 people, said its water supplies had been cut by half, and warned that it would hold Mekorot solely responsible for any tragedies resulting from water shortages during the hot summer months.
The Israeli move to cut water supplies comes as summer heat waves have shot the mercury up to 35 degrees Celsius at some places across the occupied territories.
Jenin Mayor Ragheb Al Haj Hassan said that the water had been cut off without prior notice. “Residents suffer badly in this hot weather and at this time of Ramadan.”
“Israel and Israel only is responsible for the water cuts as agreements signed with Israel clearly state that Mekorot should provide the northern areas of the West Bank with their needs of water,” he said.
In the past, the apartheid regime of Israel had been accused of unleashing "water apartheid" on Palestinians by controlling the allocation of water resources.
According to estimates, the Palestinians in the West Bank have been receiving only 60 litres of water supply per person per day, compared to 350 litres of water per person for Israelis in the region.
