Faced with the collapse of Gaza’s water infrastructure, residents and local workshops are collecting plastic waste from landfills and rubble to transform it into hoses.
The collapse of infrastructure due to Israeli attacks has triggered an unprecedented emergency in the Gaza Strip. In particular, the water crisis has become one of the main humanitarian challenges in Palestine. According to the United Nations, nearly 90% of the enclave’s water infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, including desalination plants, distribution networks, and wastewater treatment systems.
Faced with a lack of materials, equipment, and basic supplies, residents and small local workshops have begun developing emergency solutions using available resources. One of these solutions involves collecting plastic waste from landfills, streets, and the rubble of destroyed homes to transform it into hoses for transporting water.
Reuters recently documented this practice in Gaza, where plastics recovered from garbage are processed to manufacture hoses and address basic water needs.
Recycled Plastics for an Urgent Need
The collected materials are sorted and processed in makeshift workshops, using simple equipment and rudimentary methods. Although this operation falls far short of conventional industrial standards, these initiatives aim to address an immediate need: facilitating access to water in communities where formal infrastructure has collapsed.
Hoses made from recycled plastic are used to connect water supply points, fill household containers, or support agricultural work in areas where cultivation is still possible. For many families, these hoses represent a practical alternative to the long lines for water from tanker trucks or distribution points.
A Local Response to the Collapse of Basic Services
The water crisis in Gaza has been exacerbated by the destruction of underground networks, the contamination of water sources, and logistical restrictions on bringing in repair equipment. In several areas, the population depends on water deliveries by truck, a system insufficient to meet daily needs for hygiene, consumption, and sanitation.
In this context, plastic recycling takes on a vital role in survival. This is not a circular initiative planned according to industrial criteria, but rather a community response to extreme scarcity. However, the case shows how plastic waste can be transformed into functional materials when supply chains are unavailable.
While these solutions help alleviate immediate needs, they also pose technical and health challenges. Hoses produced under improvised conditions can vary in strength, durability, and safety, especially if the plastic used comes from mixed or contaminated sources.
Therefore, waste management and public health specialists warn that this type of practice should be understood as an emergency solution, not as a substitute for safe water infrastructure, formal water treatment systems, and adequate distribution networks.
Plastic, Resilience, and Reconstruction
The experience in Gaza reveals a less visible dimension of recycling: its use as a resilience tool in crisis contexts. Amid the collapse of basic services, plastic waste becomes a source of raw material to address urgent water transport needs.
For the plastics industry, this case also prompts reflection on the functional value of polymeric materials in critical situations. Hoses, pipes, containers, and conveyance systems are essential for public health, agriculture, and the reconstruction of communities affected by disasters or conflicts.
However, a long-term solution cannot rely on makeshift workshops. Gaza urgently requires the rehabilitation of its water infrastructure, access to safe materials, and the conditions necessary to restore basic water and sanitation services for its population.