After Many Years, People in Gaza Enjoy Clean Seawater

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After Many Years, People in Gaza Enjoy Clean Seawater

Clear blue water and clean, yellow sand are giving beachgoers in the Gaza Strip their first experience in years of clean and safe beaches.

A beach is an area covered with sand that is next to an ocean, lake or river.

Untreated waste has flowed directly into the waters off Gaza for years. The pollution has prevented Gazans from swimming in the Mediterranean¹ Sea and enjoying low-cost fun.

But this season has been different. Government officials said water treatment centers, paid for by international groups, are operating across the territory. That has reduced pollution to its lowest levels in many years.

Sahar Abu Bashir, 52, said, "We couldn't come before because the sea was polluted and if we did, our children used to come back home with viruses and skin diseases."

The mother of four told Reuters, "Today the area is clean and the sea is clean. We felt as if we were in another country."

Many millions of cubic meters of untreated waste used to pour into the sea every day. But this week, the long sandy beach looked almost empty of red flags that warn people against swimming because of pollution.

People sat around plastic tables at the water's edge and children played with rubber swimming equipment. In some areas, horse owners gave their animals a cooling sea bath.

The militant² group Hamas runs the Environment Quality and Water Authority. It said waste that poured into the sea was now partly treated. That makes 65 percent of the beaches safe and clean. The territory's rulers have plans to expand that. Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.

Mohammad Mesleh is the director of environmental resources. He said, "The summer season in Gaza Strip will be relatively³ safe compared to previous years because of the noticeable improvement of the quality of seawater."

Gaza is small with an area of 375 square kilometers. It is home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Local and international records suggest most Gazans are poor and the unemployment rate in the territory is about 50 percent.

Both Israel and Egypt enforce border restrictions⁴ on Gaza because of security concerns.

Deir Al-Balah is a city in the southern Gaza Strip. There, people crowded a beachfront resort called The Old Nights, built on a hilltop looking down on the beach.

Families ate inside colorful wooden structures. The owner, Rami Al-Naa'ouq, said the structures were built to look like natural colored hilltops.

His business is doing very well this season.

He said, "When there is no pollution I will have many customers in my place. That helps me make up for the losses of innovating⁵ and getting the place ready for the new year."

Words in This Story

previous –adj. existing or happening before the present time

resort – n. a place where people go for vacations

customer –n. a person who pays for good and services

innovate⁶ – v. to do something in a new way: to have new ideas about how something can be done

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

3 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

4 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

5 innovating   

v.改革，创新( innovate的现在分词 )；引入（新事物、思想或方法），

参考例句：

• In this new century, the company keeps innovating and developing new products. 新世纪伊始，公司全面实施形象工程及整合营销，不断改革创新，开发高新产品。 来自互联网
• Beijing is backward most prime cause is innovating at system lack. 北京落后的最根本原因在于制度缺乏创新。 来自互联网

6 innovate   

v.革新，变革，创始

参考例句：

• We must innovate in order to make progress.我们必须改革以便取得进步。
• It is necessary to innovate and develop military theories.创新和发展军事理论是必要的。