After Many Years, People in Gaza Enjoy Clean Seawater
2022-06-11
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1Clear blue water and clean, yellow sand are giving beachgoers in the Gaza Strip their first experience in years of clean and safe beaches.
2A beach is an area covered with sand that is next to an ocean, lake or river.
3Untreated waste has flowed directly into the waters off Gaza for years.
4The pollution has prevented Gazans from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and enjoying low-cost fun.
5But this season has been different.
6Government officials said water treatment centers, paid for by international groups, are operating across the territory.
7That has reduced pollution to its lowest levels in many years.
8Sahar Abu Bashir, 52, said, "We couldn't come before because the sea was polluted and if we did, our children used to come back home with viruses and skin diseases."
9The mother of four told Reuters, "Today the area is clean and the sea is clean. We felt as if we were in another country."
10Many millions of cubic meters of untreated waste used to pour into the sea every day.
11But this week, the long sandy beach looked almost empty of red flags that warn people against swimming because of pollution.
12People sat around plastic tables at the water's edge and children played with rubber swimming equipment.
13In some areas, horse owners gave their animals a cooling sea bath.
14The militant group Hamas runs the Environment Quality and Water Authority.
15It said waste that poured into the sea was now partly treated.
16 That makes 65 percent of the beaches safe and clean.
17The territory's rulers have plans to expand that.
18Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
19Mohammad Mesleh is the director of environmental resources.
20He said, "The summer season in Gaza Strip will be relatively safe compared to previous years because of the noticeable improvement of the quality of seawater."
21Gaza is small with an area of 375 square kilometers.
22It is home to 2.3 million Palestinians.
23Local and international records suggest most Gazans are poor and the unemployment rate in the territory is about 50 percent.
24Both Israel and Egypt enforce border restrictions on Gaza because of security concerns.
25Deir Al-Balah is a city in the southern Gaza Strip.
26There, people crowded a beachfront resort called The Old Nights, built on a hilltop looking down on the beach.
27Families ate inside colorful wooden structures.
28The owner, Rami Al-Naa'ouq, said the structures were built to look like natural colored hilltops.
29His business is doing very well this season.
30He said, "When there is no pollution I will have many customers in my place. That helps me make up for the losses of innovating and getting the place ready for the new year."
31I'm Jill Robbins.
1Clear blue water and clean, yellow sand are giving beachgoers in the Gaza Strip their first experience in years of clean and safe beaches. 2A beach is an area covered with sand that is next to an ocean, lake or river. 3Untreated waste has flowed directly into the waters off Gaza for years. The pollution has prevented Gazans from swimming in the Mediterranean Sea and enjoying low-cost fun. 4But this season has been different. Government officials said water treatment centers, paid for by international groups, are operating across the territory. That has reduced pollution to its lowest levels in many years. 5Sahar Abu Bashir, 52, said, "We couldn't come before because the sea was polluted and if we did, our children used to come back home with viruses and skin diseases." 6The mother of four told Reuters, "Today the area is clean and the sea is clean. We felt as if we were in another country." 7Many millions of cubic meters of untreated waste used to pour into the sea every day. But this week, the long sandy beach looked almost empty of red flags that warn people against swimming because of pollution. 8People sat around plastic tables at the water's edge and children played with rubber swimming equipment. In some areas, horse owners gave their animals a cooling sea bath. 9The militant group Hamas runs the Environment Quality and Water Authority. It said waste that poured into the sea was now partly treated. That makes 65 percent of the beaches safe and clean. The territory's rulers have plans to expand that. Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007. 10Mohammad Mesleh is the director of environmental resources. He said, "The summer season in Gaza Strip will be relatively safe compared to previous years because of the noticeable improvement of the quality of seawater." 11Gaza is small with an area of 375 square kilometers. It is home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Local and international records suggest most Gazans are poor and the unemployment rate in the territory is about 50 percent. 12Both Israel and Egypt enforce border restrictions on Gaza because of security concerns. 13Deir Al-Balah is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. There, people crowded a beachfront resort called The Old Nights, built on a hilltop looking down on the beach. 14Families ate inside colorful wooden structures. The owner, Rami Al-Naa'ouq, said the structures were built to look like natural colored hilltops. 15His business is doing very well this season. 16He said, "When there is no pollution I will have many customers in my place. That helps me make up for the losses of innovating and getting the place ready for the new year." 17I'm Jill Robbins. 18Nidal al-Mughrabi reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 19___________________________________________________________________ 20Words in This Story 21previous -adj. existing or happening before the present time 22resort - n. a place where people go for vacations 23customer -n. a person who pays for good and services 24innovate - v. to do something in a new way: to have new ideas about how something can be done 25We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.