A/HRC/13/54 water situation in Gaza has reached a crisis point and highlights that today 90–95 per cent of Gaza’s water is unfit for human consumption due to sewage and seawater infiltration.36 30. The blockade has prevented the entry of materials necessary to repair, rehabilitate and maintain the water and sanitation infrastructure. Materials have been allowed in only on an exceptional basis. For example, construction of the North Gaza Emergency Sewage Treatment Plant has been slowed by the shortage of critical materials. Once completed the plant will treat the sewage of more than 500,000 people and filter the treated wastewater back into the ground aquifer.37 31. The dire water situation is illustrated by the situation of Al Shoka municipality (estimated population of 15,000), which is located at the easternmost part of Rafah. Since residents of Al Shoka do not have access to water through the public water network, they must purchase water from private vendors for all their needs. Thus, the average daily consumption of water in the municipality is less than half the 100 litres per day recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). One of the local staff of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East explained to OHCHR-OPT that he spends as much as 30 per cent of his salary purchasing water for his family. According to the chief municipal engineer, new wells are required. A project of the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility includes plans to dig three wells in Tel El Sultan and build a carrier line from these new wells to the existing networks, which would allow access to water for some 60,000 people, including the Al Shoka residents. Yet the blockade prevents the importation of materials needed to complete this project. E. The right to health 32. The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a fundamental human right.38 This includes the right of access to health facilities, goods and services on a non-discriminatory basis, especially for vulnerable or marginalized groups. It also encompasses access to minimum essential food that is nutritionally adequate and safe, access to shelter, housing and sanitation and an adequate supply of safe drinking water, the provisions of essential drugs, and equitable distribution of all health facilities, goods and services. 33. The availability and quality of health care in Gaza has deteriorated over recent years because of political turmoil, Operation Cast Lead and the blockade.39 The blockade hinders the effective functioning of the health-care system on multiple levels, including by restricting access to basic supplies, such as drugs and consumables, such as syringes and gloves; basic medical equipment, such as x-ray machines; other equipment, such as computers and printers; and supplies to rehabilitate hospitals, such as glass, cement and wood. At present, it is only possible to import a minimum of essential medical supplies and equipment. 34. During the reporting period, there continued to be enormous difficulties for patients from Gaza who required emergency medical care available in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Israel or abroad. From February 2009 until the end of October 2009, 25 persons 36 37 38 39 GE.10-12152 UNEP_Gaza_EA.pdf. Amnesty International, Troubled Waters – Palestinians Denied Fair Access to Water (London, 2009). OCHA, The Humanitarian Monitor, October 2009, p. 12. Article 12, paragraph 1, of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. As of 31 October 2009, the Gaza Central Drug Stores reported that 78 of the list of 480 essential drug items and 119 of the list of 700 essential disposable items were at zero stock level. Information communicated directly to OHCHR-OPT by WHO, 15 November 2009. 9