Director-General Shoblaq: The Water Authority Minister's visit affirms the harmony between the Water Authority and CMWU and opens the door to supporting the operating costs of the strategic water facilities.
Eng. Shoblaq: Minister Ghanem's Support for CMWU Affirms the Extent of Harmony and Integration in the Relationship Between the Water Authority and the Utility
Gaza – CMWU
CMWU's Director-General Eng. Monther Shoblaq stated that the recent visit by Water Authority Chairman Minister Mazen Ghanem to the Gaza Strip was of great importance on both the immediate and strategic levels, as the water and sanitation sector is, on the immediate level, going through a transitional stage between the completion of most of the strategic projects developed by the Water Authority, which was responsible for issuing its plan in cooperation with CMWU and other partners among the national institutions, and how to sustain the operation of these facilities, represented in 3 seawater desalination plants and 3 sewage treatment plants in the Gaza Strip, which the donor institutions helped us complete despite the complications of coordination and delay, but they have now become a reality on the ground.
On the strategic level, Eng. Shoblaq said that the great challenge now is how to sustain the operation of these facilities amid the political and economic situation the Gaza Strip is going through and amid CMWU's incomplete development as the sole service provider in the Strip according to Palestinian law, as there is an urgent need to support the Utility for a transitional period to cover the operating expenses of these facilities until its capacity as a service institution technically and financially capable of covering the six facilities is completed, on par with the rest of the facilities existing in the Gaza Strip, affirming here that the presence of the Water Authority Chairman is very important to support this direction, since the Water Authority represents the body most responsible for the water sector and most responsible for providing a good service to the public, and is the umbrella of the water sector in Palestine, and on the other hand, so that the donor institutions can be reassured that the Water Authority, the body responsible for this sector, is present and undertakes its oversight for the success of the current projects and is the guarantor of its strategic projects being constructed and operated.
The Meeting with the Minister
Eng. Shoblaq described the meetings held by Minister Ghanem during his recent visit to the Strip as very important, particularly the meeting that brought him together with CMWU's team at the Utility's headquarters, which affirms the Water Authority's support for the Utility and affirms the extent of the harmony and integration in the relationship between the Water Authority and the Utility.
The Utility's Director-General noted that Minister Ghanem affirmed, during his meeting with the Utility's team, the readiness of some donor institutions to fund the operating expenses of water and sanitation facilities in the Gaza Strip for a temporary period, so a workable action plan with clear responsibilities and commitments must be prepared in order to convince these institutions that this funding is for a specific transitional period until the Utility is able to become self-reliant and cover the operating expenses of water and sanitation facilities.
Eng. Shoblaq expressed his regret that CMWU's Chairman of the Board of Directors Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan was unable to attend the meeting as usual due to prior commitments and since the Minister's visit was sudden and quick, but he affirmed that Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan's instructions were clear and followed in the reception protocols and the procedures of the activities befitting the relationship between the Water Authority and CMWU.
The Special Nature of the Relationship
Eng. Shoblaq affirmed that the Water Authority is as close as possible to the concerns and needs of residents of the Gaza Strip, and here lies the special nature of the relationship between the Water Authority and CMWU, as the Utility always exchanges these concerns and needs with the Water Authority, and evidence of this is that since the beginning of the division and the siege until today, the Water Authority, together with CMWU and other institutions, has been able to mobilize half a billion dollars implemented in the form of projects, and this also demonstrates the special nature of the water sector in the Gaza Strip, and despite the siege and the complications of coordination with the Israeli side and the repeated incursions and wars, we together were able to complete numerous strategic projects, and this puts us before a challenge that we will not allow the political and economic circumstances to bring the Gaza Strip to a stage of environmental and water collapse as the UN report predicted in 2011, and this motivated us to make positive use of this report and present our problems and residents' concerns before donor institutions, particularly regarding their right to access basic services, foremost among them water and sanitation services, and evidence of this is that all the strategic projects were completed between 2012 and today.
The Importance of the Visit
Eng. Shoblaq added that Minister Ghanem's visit was important and successful and was accompanied by a large gathering of international and media institutions, which would help preserve this momentum and importance for the water and sanitation sector, noting that the presence of the Water Minister and his inspection of water and sanitation facilities, and announcing the beginning of operation of one facility and laying the foundation stone for another facility, and the presence of a UN official such as Mladenov and a representative of the European Union and international funders, all of this would create a gathering and give great attention to the water and sanitation sector in the Strip, which would contribute to solving the water and sanitation problem the Gaza Strip suffers from.
