Drinking water quality assessment of the Middle Governorate in the Gaza Strip, Palestine

The aim of this study is to investigate drinking water contamination and to identify potential sources of contamination during the water production and delivery process in the middle area of the Gaza Strip. The samples were taken from private desalination plants, water tankers, distribution points located in stores along the streets, household storage units, and from private wells. The presence of biological contamination was detectable in 20.0% of storage tanks of private desalination plants, 26.7% of water tankers, 74.0% of drinking water distribution points and 75.7% of drinking water household storage tanks. With reference to chemical investigations, pH was mostly below the acceptable level, with values ranging from 4.4 to 6.3, with an average value of 5.4. Low pH was also confirmed in the samples taken from household and distribution points. The results of the chemical and bacteriological parameters were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) and Palestinian Water Authority (PWA) guidelines for drinking water.