In the cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah, the water crisis is no longer a seasonal or service-related issue. For over four months, nearly half a million people in North Sinai have been living without access to fresh water after the shutdown of the vital “Line 1000” and the failure of alternative desalination plants.
Through testimonies from patients, statements by officials, and unregulated water tankers, this investigation reveals how the water crisis has evolved into a public health and economic threat impacting daily life—amid the absence of sustainable solutions.
The Story Begins in Al-Sabeel Neighborhood
Since early February, Zahraa (23) and her mother, residents of Al-Sabeel neighborhood in southern Arish, have had no option but to rely on mobile water tankers—trucks and carts transporting water across the city—after the potable water supply was cut off from Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah. But after just three weeks of using this water, both suffered from acute stomach pain and severe diarrhea, requiring hospitalization at Arish General Hospital. They were diagnosed with gastroenteritis and remained under treatment for three weeks.
“I narrowly escaped death,” Zahraa told Zawia3. “The doctor warned me not to drink from the tankers and confirmed that was the cause of my illness. I still suffer from stomach pain and fear falling ill again.”
Zahraa’s ordeal is far from unique. Residents across North Sinai—in Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah—are enduring similar conditions after Nile water supplies, once delivered via Line 1000 from Qantara East of the Suez Canal, were cut off. According to the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater in North Sinai, the line—which served around half a million people—was shut down and replaced with seawater desalination plants. However, sources told Zawia3 that these plants ceased operations due to a shortage of essential water purification materials.
As a result, residents have been forced to depend on unsafe alternatives, such as untreated well water and unmonitored water tankers, which are not subject to any health supervision by the Health Directorate or the Holding Company. This has led to a rise in intestinal and vaginal infections, particularly among women.
Now in the fourth month of the crisis, residents are buying 10-liter jerry cans of filtered water from street vendors for 10 pounds ($0.20) or resorting to tankers that draw from underground wells—despite the complete lack of sanitary testing. Although the desalination plants are relatively new, they remain out of service for reasons unknown to the residents, even as cases of illness continue to rise due to the consumption of non-potable water.
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Public Testimonies and Demands for Accountability
In the Al-Masaeed neighborhood of Arish, community activist Ibrahim El-Kashef described to Zawia3 the severe difficulties residents face in securing clean drinking water. He questioned the fate of the millions of pounds allegedly allocated for renewing water stations and pipelines, accusing the Drinking Water Company officials of neglecting citizens’ needs.
“The trucks carry jerry cans and barrels to underground wells to fill them with water. This scene is a disgrace to those in charge,” said El-Kashef. “All we ask for is a real solution to a water crisis that has exceeded all limits and caused widespread illness—especially among the elderly, children, and women.”
For his part, Engineer Suleiman El-Amari, the former head of the Medium and Small Enterprises Development Authority in North Sinai, stated that the head of the Water and Wastewater Company—who is also responsible for the seawater desalination plant—refuses to travel to the governorate “for fear of public anger” over the ongoing water outage. He confirmed that there are flaws in the design and operation of the plant, which—according to him—led to its shutdown.
El-Amari added, “The water isn’t fit for drinking or cooking, and yet it’s not even available in the first place. The officials are absent, and none of them come forward to explain why the plants are down. This is recklessness and arrogance, and those responsible must be held to account.”
Meanwhile, resident Hassan Salama Al-Suwarka asked, “How can an official sleep peacefully while an entire governorate is thirsty? Where are the parliamentarians—in both the House of Representatives and the Senate—when villagers and city dwellers from west to east are drinking from polluted and stagnant wells? Is there any crisis more severe than depriving tens of thousands of families of water amid suffocating economic conditions and soaring prices? Are they waiting for people to die of thirst?”
Salama continued, “What is the role of the officials? And why is a water company with millions in capital failing to secure water for citizens—whether for drinking or basic household use? We’re nearing the end of the second month of the outage, and the water lines carry nothing but air amid a complete absence of water.”
The multi-dimensional suffering faced by the residents of Arish, according to activist Mohamed Haggag—Secretary of the Tagammu Party in North Sinai—is linked to the Kilometer 17 station, located at the western entrance of the city. This station is the main water source for Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah. Haggag stated that the total water cutoff began in mid-September and has forced residents to buy drinking water in gallons from pickup trucks roaming the streets or to rely on tankers that fetch stagnant well water from desert areas outside the cities—without any health oversight.
Tanker Water: Between Scarcity and Risk
Speaking to Zawia3, Mohamed Haggag explained that the price of one cubic meter of water delivered by tanker trucks has risen to around 200 pounds ($4.00) due to the ongoing outage of desalinated drinking water after the desalination plants went offline. He noted that a single tanker typically carries about 12 cubic meters, and residents of each building share the cost based on their needs and the capacity of rooftop storage tanks. This creates a heavy financial burden for citizens who, despite the lack of supply, continue to receive high water bills—without any consideration from the utility companies for the prolonged interruption.
From the city of Sheikh Zuweid, resident Salam Al-Ma’ani explained that tanker water is filled from privately owned underground wells in the surrounding desert areas, particularly in the desert hinterland stretching between Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah. The water is then sold to residents for a fee that varies from one tanker to another. In most cases, the drivers agree on a unified rate that increases as the crisis worsens—amid a complete lack of price regulation.
Al-Ma’ani added that some tankers are not even suitable for transporting potable water. Some use rust-prone tanks or repurposed containers that were once used for fuel and were later cleaned for water distribution. Moreover, many tanker owners and well operators do not disinfect the water or add purifying agents, fearing that the chemicals might damage the tanks or alter the taste of the water—posing serious health risks to the population.
Ahmed Sami, a vegetable vendor in Al-Refaai Market in Arish, said that hundreds of tankers enter North Sinai cities every day to meet the population’s water needs. Despite the fact that a single 1,000-liter tank can cost up to 200 pounds ($4.00), residents are left with no option but to rely on them as the only available alternative after the desalination plants ceased operation.
In an attempt to alleviate the crisis, local associations and NGOs in Sheikh Zuweid and southern Rafah have begun distributing water containers—ranging from 10 to 25 barrels per neighborhood or village—for drinking purposes. However, these initiatives remain insufficient to cover the needs of the entire population, and water purchased from tankers continues to be the most commonly used source.
Meanwhile, activist Mohamed El-Khalily from Arish confirmed that the water shortage crisis effectively began in 2020, when the freshwater pipeline from west of the Suez Canal to the Qantara East station—previously supplying North Sinai cities—was shut down. He pointed out that the government constructed several seawater desalination plants to pump water through massive pipelines into the cities, but the water produced has a distinct smell and taste and tends to appear yellowish compared to Nile water.
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Hospitals Respond to the Health Crisis Fallout
Dr. Ahmed Hassan, an internal medicine specialist in Arish, confirmed that contaminated tanker water poses an immediate threat to public health, especially during the summer months, as it can cause intestinal infections and even lead to cholera in some cases. Hassan explained that this water, along with desalinated water, is one of the main contributors to the spread of gastrointestinal diseases, noting that some cases can deteriorate to the point of death if not treated in time.
Another physician at Arish General Hospital—who requested anonymity for security reasons and was referred to as “Ahmed Ibrahim”—revealed that the emergency department has received over 45 cases this month from Arish and Sheikh Zuweid, all suffering from severe gastroenteritis. Two of these patients died due to delays in receiving treatment. He noted that the death certificates did not list the actual cause and instead recorded the fatalities as resulting from “gastric bacteria.”
The doctor added that the remaining patients recovered and were discharged, while similar cases continued to arrive at the emergency department. However, they were not admitted due to the absence of tests that could directly link the symptoms to water contamination—even though most of the patients had relied on tanker water after desalination plants stopped functioning.
During a visit by a Zawia3 correspondent to Arish General Hospital, dozens of children suffering from acute diarrhea were observed, according to statements from their families. A smaller number of adult cases were also noted. However, the hospital director, Dr. Ahmed Mansour, refused to provide any official information, citing “security concerns.”
Similarly, Dr. Ahmed Samir, head of the Health Directorate in North Sinai, declined to offer clarifications, only stating that the hospital cases were “later diagnosed as acute intestinal infections,” and denied the presence of gastroenteritis cases. Yet a nurse at the hospital—who preferred to remain unnamed—told Zawia3 that she personally attended to dozens of cases, most of them women and children, suffering from gastroenteritis caused by drinking unregulated tanker water.
In the same context, Umm Hossam (42), a resident of Sheikh Zuweid, continues to suffer from severe kidney flare-ups, locally known as krizat el-raml (sand crises), and frequently visits clinics. She said her physician confirmed that contaminated water was directly linked to her condition, particularly amid the widespread occurrence of gynecological infections.
This diagnosis is supported by Dr. Hosnaa Ramzy, a gynecologist and obstetrician in Arish, who reported that she sees daily cases of women suffering from vaginal and urinary tract infections, along with some cases of kidney stones—all resulting from drinking unsterilized tanker water. She explained that the bacteria and microbes accumulated in such water—due to the shutdown of desalination plants—are the direct cause of these health problems.
Boiling, Bottled Water, and the Impossible Alternatives
Despite the widespread availability of bottled water in the cities of Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah—often recommended by doctors as the safest option for drinking, especially for people suffering from chronic conditions like intestinal inflammation or kidney problems—the high cost makes it an unattainable choice for many families.
A single 1.5-liter bottle costs between 10 and 12 pounds ($0.20–$0.24), meaning that a household needing 10 bottles per day spends between 100 and 120 pounds ($2.00–$2.40) daily. This exceeds half the daily income of a worker whose wages, at best, reach 200 pounds ($4.00) per day.
Residents who spoke to Zawia3 confirmed that the crisis does not affect only low- or middle-income families; even some financially stable households avoid relying on bottled water regularly due to the prolonged nature of the crisis and the uncertainty surrounding its resolution.
At the same time, patients—particularly those with kidney issues, chronic illnesses, or frequent infections—are compelled to purchase multiple bottles per day per individual, fearing health relapses if they return to using contaminated water.
Zahraa, who recently completed a course of treatment for gastroenteritis caused by polluted tanker water, said: “My father cannot afford to buy bottled water regularly, even though doctors recommend it. He has to cut down on food expenses to provide 5 to 8 bottles a day for me and my siblings. Bread won’t make us sick—but water could kill us.”
Amid such suffering, most residents have turned to boiling tanker water before drinking it, in an attempt to sterilize it and avoid falling ill. Women interviewed by Zawia3 said that some of them had developed chronic infections so severe that they now avoid even showering with tanker water, opting instead to boil it before any use, fearing further health complications or the spread of new infections.
As the crisis drags on with no sustainable solution in sight, the people of North Sinai remain trapped between crushing financial costs and imminent health threats—while effective governmental responses remain absent.
The Official Narrative, System Failures, and Promises of Solutions
As the crisis deepens, lawyer and human rights activist Suleiman Zayed called on local authorities—particularly Major General Dr. Khaled Mewaghar, Governor of North Sinai—to urgently and fully reactivate the freshwater pipeline known as “Line 1000” and to compel the Holding Company for Drinking Water and Wastewater to assume its responsibilities. He stressed that seawater desalination plants should be treated only as emergency solutions when Nile water supply lines malfunction.
In his interview with Zawia3, Zayed emphasized the need for strict oversight of tanker trucks distributing water in light of the desalination plants’ shutdown. He called for these trucks to be supplied with disinfecting agents to ensure clean and safe drinking water reaches residents of Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and Rafah until the crisis is resolved.
For his part, Engineer Yasser El-Amari, Monitoring Director at the Holding Company for Water and Wastewater in North Sinai, clarified that Line 1000 had not been decommissioned but was operating at partial capacity, delivering approximately 15,000 cubic meters of water daily to Arish. He explained that the desalination plant at Kilometer 17 had been connected to this line, meaning that the water reaching the city—whether sourced from the sea or the Nile—is considered fresh.
El-Amari attributed the current outage to a sudden malfunction at the Kilometer 17 station, the main facility responsible for pumping water to Arish, Sheikh Zuweid, and South Rafah. He pointed out that eastern Arish contains five seawater desalination plants in addition to 18 underground well desalination stations. The first of these, Sekadera 1 in Sheikh Zuweid, began operating in 2014 with a daily capacity of 5,000 cubic meters, followed by several others in Rafah, Masaeed, and Reisa.
He added that most desalination plants are currently offline due to chemical cleaning operations, coupled with a severe shortage of calcite, a costly imported substance. The company has had to resort to locally sourced substitutes that fail to remove the yellow discoloration caused by chemical interactions in the water.
El-Amari also noted that the Kilometer 17 station—billed as the largest of its kind in the Middle East—has not yet completed all three of its development phases. Its low output is attributed to several factors: high turbidity levels in the seawater, unstable electricity supply, and the rising costs of operation and maintenance.
In the same context, Faheem Tadros, Project Manager of the “Orascom–Metito” consortium executing the Kilometer 17 plant, stated that the facility relies on state-of-the-art global water treatment technologies. The process begins with seawater intake, followed by sand filtration, microfiltration, desalination units for salt removal, final treatment, and storage.
Tadros explained that the station is designed to meet the needs of more than 1.5 million residents, representing a leap in resource utilization and 24-hour water provision—provided that maintenance continues uninterrupted and pumping lines remain operational.
Meanwhile, North Sinai Governor Major General Khaled Mewaghar told Zawia3 that he visited the Kilometer 17 station to investigate the causes of the pumping failure. He explained that a major breakdown in one of the pumps had forced the operations team to shut it down to avoid a rupture in the main pipeline. He added that efforts are underway, in coordination with the company’s chairman, Engineer Mamdouh Raslan, to repair the malfunction and resume water flow.
The governor noted that the Kilometer 17 station is located 20 kilometers from Arish and 45 kilometers from Sheikh Zuweid and South Rafah. In the meantime, water is being temporarily distributed to residential neighborhoods and population clusters via mobile tankers until the plant can return to full capacity.
