Jesper skrev:
> /John <nogen@pladderballe.ok> wrote:
>
> > Gaza mangler br�ndstof til et kraftv�rk, der producerer en tredjedel af
> > omr�dets str�m.
> >
> > Det er naturligvis Israels skyld?
> >
> > Forkert :)
> >
> > "The dispute is between Hamas and the Palestinian Authority":
> >
http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2010/08/07/Gaza-power-station-ou
> > t-of-fuel/UPI-94171281217296/
> >
> > John
>
> Er det forkert at Israel har �delagt Gazas infrastruktur, herunder
> kraftv�rker?
Bemærk kilden. En unavngiven: "israelsk radiostation."
Understanding Gaza's electricity crisis.
Here is a really good overall explainer of Gaza's current electricity
situation as a result of the Israeli siege on the strip.
It may appear quiet these days in Gaza... no major Israeli military
operations, no airstrikes, no daily rocket attacks... but by no means
has the humanitarian situation got better for the people here.
This report by the UN's humanitarian office in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories helps explain the impact electricity cuts have
on the overall humanitarian situation.
http://blogs.aljazeera.net/middle-east/2010/05/11/understanding-gazas-electricity-crisis
UNITED NATIONS
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian.
Since January 2010, there has been a serious deterioration in the
supply of electricity in the
Gaza Strip. The immediate reason is that Gaza’s sole power plant, the
Gaza Power Plant (GPP),
is able to produce only half the electricity that it did prior to
January 2010, due to a lack of funds
needed to purchase the industrial fuel required to operate the plant.
As a result, many of the 1.4 million Palestinians residing in the Gaza
Strip must cope with
scheduled electricity cuts of 8-12 hours daily, compared to 6-8 hours
prior to January 2010.
These power cuts exacerbate the already difficult living conditions in
Gaza and disrupt
almost all aspects of daily life, including household chores, health
services, education and water and sanitation services.
A Chronic Shortfall
The shortage of electricity in the Gaza Strip dates back to June 2006,
when the Israeli Air Force destroyed all six transformers at the GPP
during an air strike. Five months later, the power plant resumed
production, but at a significantly reduced level; producing around 65
MW (out of 80MW of potential capacity), compared to 118MW at peak
production (out of 140 MW of potential capacity) prior to the
bombardment.1 Israel’s imposition of a blockade on the Gaza Strip in
June 2007, following the Hamas take-over, further tightened existing
restrictions on imports of spare parts, equipment, consumables and
industrial fuel required for the operation of the power plant and the
electricity network.. As a result, there has been a chronic shortfall
in the GPP’s level of electricity production.
Since January 2010, the daily electricity deficit has increased
further, following the expiration of the European Commission’s direct
subsidy to the fuel purchase for the GPP.2 Since this time, the power
plant has twice had to shut down completely, due to lack of fuel. The
plant now operates using one turbine, producing only 30 MW of
electricity, compared to its average production of 60-65 MW in 2009.
Impact on the Humanitarian Situation
People killed and injured due to reliance on mobile back-up generators
To mitigate the daily hardship of living for prolonged hours without
electricity, especially during evening blackouts, those who can afford
to do so buy mobile back-up generators. These generators, which are
imported largely through the tunnels under Gaza’s border with Egypt,
can be unsafe, especially when used incorrectly.
Accidents have happened as a result of poor usage, carbon monoxide
poisoning, and fires and explosions occurring when people attempt to
fuel the generators by candle-light during a blackout. According to
the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 27 people were killed and 37 others
injured during the first four months of 2010 in generator-related
incidents, including the explosion of generators, carbon monoxide
poisoning and fires. Among the casualties were three children killed
from carbon monoxide poisoning5 and three other children killed when a
fire broke out while pouring fuel into a generator.
Hospitals and clinics
As a result of the electricity cuts, hospitals and clinics rely
extensively on the use of back-up
generators, which are not designed to function for prolonged periods
and are often damaged as
a result. Additionally, replacement parts needed to repair them are
frequently unavailable. Due
to the unpredictability in the power supply, hospitals have had to
delay some elective surgeries
in order to reduce the risk to patients. Given the limited reliability
of generators, hospitals also use
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) devices to minimize the damage of
power cuts and fluctuations in power to sensitive medical equipment.
The effectiveness of the UPS use has been undermined due to the
Israeli authorities’ restrictions on the import of the batteries
needed to operate them.
Electricity cuts also affect refrigeration in clinics, causing risks
to the quality of vaccines.
Electricity is also needed for pumping water for domestic use and
irrigation. Because the pumps
cannot be operated continuously, water supply for domestic use is
insufficient, raising hygiene
and health concerns. In order to pump water to households, the water
wells must receive electricity in synchronization with electricity
supply to the same households. Almost all the households receive water
for only 5-7 hours a day.
Education
Power cuts negatively affect the educational environment, both at
school and at home. Studying
in darkened classrooms affects students’ ability to concentrate as
does the sound, smoke and smell from generators, in schools and homes
that have them. Food for school canteens cannot be stored adequately
as refrigeration cannot be maintained, while water shortages, due to
disruptions to the water pumps, result in dirty latrines and a lack of
water for hand washing. In addition, the frequent electricity cuts
damage electronic equipment used in schools. At schools without
generators, students lose practical classes in science and technology,
since computer labs are not functioning. Power cuts also affect
educational aids used for remedial classes,
reducing the efficiency of remedial education, and in training
sessions for teachers.
Agriculture
The lack of refrigeration causes significant damage to crops, in
addition to an increase in the cost of production. The interruption in
the irrigation of crops delays flowers and fruit from ripening,
resulting in a decreased ratio of yield compared to input. Similarly,
fodder production is interrupted, and the yield of egg production and
output of dairy farms reduced, as adequate lighting cannot be provided
for laying hens and power cuts interrupt the functioning of milk
machines. Power cuts are also a major threat to aquaculture farms,
since the pumps needed to filter or oxygenate the water are affected.
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_gaza_electricity_crisis_2010_05_17.pdf