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Gaza bursting at seams without West Bank link
 The Gaza Strip, one of the most overcrowded places in the world, faces demographic asphyxiation if it remains cut off from the rest of Palestinian territory after the Israeli pullout, experts say. "Gaza is already suffering from overpopulation and limited land space. Without a link to the West Bank, it won't be able to accommodate one more person," said Khalil Najm, an official in the Palestinian Planning Ministry.
| I'm not familiar with 'demographic asphyxiation': is that a medical term? Can we make it one? |
According to official Palestinian statistics, Gaza's population density is 3,457 people per square kilometer, comparable to Singapore.
| As long as we remember that Gaza isn't comparable to Singapore. |
The number of Palestinians living in the narrow sliver of east Mediterranean coast is expected to climb from its current level of 1.3 million to 2.2 million people in 10 years, reaching three million by the year 2025, Najm said. The fast growth is linked to the high fertility rate, which far outpaces the Middle East average, putting immense pressure on educational, health and housing facilities, not to mention natural resources. Each married Palestinian woman bears an average of 6.8 children, compared with a 4.4 Middle East average and just 1.6 in industrialized countries.
| You'd think the average Mahmoud wouldn't have either time or energy to be a splodydope ... |
Experts say population growth in the Palestinian territories - expected to reach 4.52 percent in 2005 - presents serious obstacles for the Gaza Strip. "Population growth presents enormous challenges in the Palestinian territories and in Gaza in particular, with regard to water resources, infrastructure, education and health," Najm said.
Posted by: Fred 2005-09-14 |
