UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- The ongoing energy crisis in Gaza is having a devastating impact on the already dire humanitarian situation, a UN spokesman said on Friday.
"Today, the humanitarian coordinator (UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Occupied Palestinian Territory), Jamie McGoldrick, wrote to the donor community informing that the United Nations Assisted Emergency Fuel Program, which provides life-saving fuel to operate standby emergency generators at critical health centers, water and sanitation facilities has run out of funding," Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said at the daily news briefing.
"If new funds are not received immediately, we will be facing a potentially catastrophic breakdown in service delivery, whereby services provided at hospitals, clinics, as well as sewage treatment, water and sanitation facilities will cease," Dujarric quoted McGoldrick as saying.
Based on the current electricity deficit in Gaza, with up to 20 hours of power outages per day, a minimum of 4.5 million U.S. dollars is required to enable the delivery of some 1.4 million liters of emergency fuel per month to sustain these services until the end of the year.
