The United Nations estimated the volume of rubble that must be removed in the Gaza Strip at about 37 million tons, as the intense Israeli bombing and destruction of buildings continues since October 7, 2023.
‘We estimated that there were 37 million tons of rubble, or about 300 kilograms of rubble per square meter, in the Gaza Strip, which before the war was densely populated and urban,’ said UNMAS official Per Lodhamar.
He indicated in a press statement in Geneva that removing it would take 14 years, assuming the use of about 100 trucks. He stressed: ‘The unexploded ordnance was mixed with the rubble, which will greatly complicate the mission.’
Lodhamar considered that ‘at least 10%’ of the munitions fired in the conflict do not explode, and thus constitute a constant threat to the population, to the teams responsible for searching the rubble to recover the bodies of the victims, and to the workers assigned to remove the rubble.’
He talked about a recent meeting held in Amman with the United Nations Devel
opment Program and non-governmental organizations, devoted to searching for the best ways to deal with this rubble mixed with explosives, and this comes as ‘preparation for what might happen and for intervention in Gaza.’
The official’s statement is based on his experience in this field, as he had previously undertaken the same mission in Iraq, ‘but on a smaller scale,’ and he explained that ‘65% of the destroyed buildings were residential’ in the Gaza Strip.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency