MotOR

The provision of electricity in the Gaza Strip remains well below demand, resulting in daily power cuts of between 8 and 10 hours. In my building, for example, the electricity is usually cut between 8am and 5pm on weekdays and at intermittent, unpredictable times over the weekends.

According to a recent UN report, which bleakly forecasts that it will no longer be possible to live in Gaza by the year 2020 unless the situation on the ground changes drastically, the current capacity for electricity is 242MW. 120MW are sourced from Israel, 22MW imported from Egypt, and the remaining 100MW are produced in Gaza's only power plant. This does not meet the peak demand of 350MW. As the population grows, the demand is projected to rise to 550MW by 2020.

In order to supplement the electricity supply, many households, private businesses, hospitals, waste water treatment plants, and schools are forced to rely on back-up generators (known as 'motORs'). These generators are very expensive to run, for many prohibitively so. They produce toxic fumes which have long-term health implications, particularly for children. They are also extremely noisy. Walking on the main street in Gaza City when the electricity is cut, you can hardly hear yourself think.