The Water Crisis in Ramallah Sparks a Wave of Public Discontent and Calls for Fundamental Reform

Following SadaNews: The Ramallah Municipality opened the door for discussion with citizens regarding the escalating water crisis in the city, through a post on its official Facebook page, urging residents to share their observations and inquiries in preparation for presenting them to the Jerusalem Governorate Water Department during the "Ramallah Chat" program broadcast by "Where in Ramallah" TV, as it is the responsible entity for distributing water in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh governorate. However, the comments quickly turned into a platform for expressing public anger, as the majority were negative, infused with dissatisfaction from the deteriorating water situation, and calling for urgent reforms that include infrastructure, distribution mechanisms, and ensuring fairness in water supply between regions.

Angry Reactions and Calls for Reform

Comments poured in from citizens expressing their dissatisfaction with poor water distribution, weak supply, and frequent outages, demanding practical solutions that ensure fairness in distribution and improve infrastructure.

Among the prominent suggestions from citizens’ comments that SadaNews monitored were: "Building central tanks to collect rainwater instead of letting it flood the streets in winter, as well as addressing losses in the water network and improving distribution efficiency."

Also: "Amending building permit conditions to require the existence of wells for collecting rainwater in every building, and rehabilitating old networks while distributing water lines fairly among neighborhoods."

Complaints from Affected Areas

Citizens from various areas pointed to their ongoing struggles, including: "Hanna Nqara Street" which has suffered from low water pressure for a year, preventing it from reaching upper floors.

Also, "Al-Shuqra Street" near Aziz Shahin School, where residents complained about changes in the water supply schedule, leading to a reduction in supply days, alongside severely weak quantities, despite their repeated complaints with no response.

In the area of Al-Tira, one citizen noted that buildings at a lower elevation benefit more from the water supply, while higher areas are deprived, calling for the installation of pumping regulators to ensure fair distribution.

One citizen pointed out that the area of Ramallah is 844 square kilometers, with an annual rainfall rate of 650 mm, which means the available water quantity is sufficient to meet the need and more. He emphasized that the responsibility does not fall on the citizen who pays taxes but rather on the relevant authorities from the Water Department, Water Authority, and municipalities, calling for accountability of the negligent or their removal in favor of those who can find solutions.

A Public Outcry: Water is a Right, Not a Luxury

Citizens expressed their feelings of frustration, describing the water crisis as a "daily tragedy," where water reaches some areas regularly, while others are deprived for long days, and in some cases, certain homes at higher elevations receive no water at all, as they noted that when water does arrive, it is not always clean, affirming that "water is a basic right for every human being, and a radical and fair solution must be found for everyone."

As SadaNews observed, one citizen wrote a series of questions reflecting the extent of public anger: "Why does water reach some areas 3 or 4 days a week, while other areas only receive it once every two weeks? What does a person do when the amount of water is not enough to fill their tanks? Would the general director of the department accept to live under the same conditions if water reached his home at this rate?"

The water crisis in Ramallah has become more than just a technical or administrative malfunction; it has turned into a public issue requiring urgent intervention from the competent authorities and serious coordination between municipalities and local governance institutions to ensure citizens' rights to equitable and sufficient water, away from geographical discrimination or institutional negligence.