Gaza headed for 'environmental catastrophe'

Gaza City -  Water may be a highly valued commodity the world over - but in al-Shati refugee camp north of Gaza City, it is like gold.

Along this small stretch of the Mediterranean coast, all it  takes to work that out is turning on a tap: When it is there at all, the water is salty, or sometimes cloudy.

Only an estimated 3 percent of Gaza's water is suitable for drinking.  The Palestinian Water Authority and the United Nations have warned that its underground water aquifer - upon which the territory is almost entirely reliant, apart from a small amount of water imported from Israel - may be completely contaminated by the end of the year.  Gaza's water contains a large concentration of chloride, while infiltration of untreated sewage has raised the levels of nitrates to two to eight times higher than the World Health Organization recommends. 

Gaza is also gripped by an electricity crisis that sometimes leaves households with just a few hours of power a day.