Dahdaleh Institute’s Safe Water Optimization Tool Helps Address Gaza’s Water Crisis

A new report highlights the vital role the Safe Water Optimization Tool (SWOT) can play in protecting drinking water during humanitarian emergencies. The findings come as Gaza faces nearly two years of siege and bombardment by Israel that has destroyed most of its water infrastructure and displaced millions.

The Chlorination Chain Study in Southern Gaza Strip, led by Solidarités International on behalf of the Gaza WASH Cluster with technical support from York University’s Dahdaleh Institute, found that more than 85% of households are consuming water with chlorine levels below safe standards. As a result, families face a heightened risk of waterborne diseases such as acute watery diarrhea. Water from community kitchens and makeshift shelters was particularly unsafe, with most samples failing to meet chlorination guidelines.

To address the crisis, humanitarian responders deployed the SWOT, a machine-learning water quality modeling tool developed by the Humanitarian Water Engineering Lab at the Dahdaleh Institute. By predicting how chlorine decays in water, the SWOT provides data-driven recommendations to reduce the risk of recontamination. The analysis showed that delivering 1.2–1.3 mg/L of chlorine residual at distribution points would keep about 99% of households’ water safe after 24 hours of storage. This work builds on earlier technical support the lab has provided to humanitarian partners in Gaza, including Médecins Sans Frontières, since December 2024.

Based on the findings, an action plan was drafted to guide humanitarian actors in Gaza. Key measures include scaling up chlorination at the source, systematic monitoring at water trucks and desalination plants, campaigns promoting safe household storage, and training for local partners on emergency chlorination. However, the report warns that without lifting Israel’s blockade and repairing Gaza’s devastated water infrastructure, safe water provision will remain precarious.

The water crisis is unfolding alongside a deepening hunger emergency. In recent weeks, Israel’s longstanding restrictions on aid have contributed to an IPC (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) declaration that famine has taken hold in parts of Gaza. More than half a million people are facing catastrophic hunger. Severely malnourished children are especially vulnerable to waterborne infections, creating a combined water and food security crisis that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. Urgent lifting of the blockade is needed to prevent a major catastrophe.

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