The "A Mile for Water" event at Gaza seaport, with the participation of the Water Authority and hundreds of students, funded by UNICEF, Islamic Relief, and the Austrian Development Agency.
Under the Title "A Mile for Water"
A Large Gathering Event Celebrating World Water Day at Gaza Seaport
The Palestinian Water Authority and CMWU organized a central event at Gaza seaport, coinciding with World Water Day, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, and funded by UNICEF, Islamic Relief, and the Austrian Development Agency, through the Gaza Sustainable Water Supply Program Coordination Unit project.
The event, titled "A Mile for Water," was attended by representatives of local and international partner institutions working in the water sector, and active participation from hundreds of public school students, supervisors, a number of artists, volunteers, and media outlets. The event's program included a number of diverse activities.
The activities began with a large march led by a scout troupe and students carrying slogans about the water situation in Palestine and particularly in the Gaza Strip, which faces a suffocating water crisis amid the escalating severity of pollution in the groundwater aquifer and the scarcity of water resources, coinciding with the siege and the restrictions imposed on bringing in materials and equipment for water and sanitation projects, and a severe energy deficit.
The participants then moved to the celebration square at Gaza seaport, and among the speeches given to celebrate this occasion, Deputy Chairman of the Water Authority Eng. Rebhi Al-Sheikh affirmed, in his speech, the importance of such events in shedding light on the dangerous water situation in the Gaza Strip, and stressing a number of messages demanding action on all levels to overcome this crisis.
Eng. Al-Sheikh said that these movements must be quick to avoid any future risks that would worsen the already difficult humanitarian situation in the Strip, explaining that "the message we direct to the world is that serious work and solidarity are required for us to do what is required of us and achieve a better future for future generations." He also praised the efforts of the partner bodies working with the Water Authority to solve this crisis and overcome its effects currently and in the future.
In turn, CMWU's Director-General Eng. Monther Shoblaq spoke about his appreciation for this event, which carries strong and expressive messages from the children who came today to convey these messages, expressing his hope of achieving the goals set by the Utility to develop water and sanitation services in the Gaza Strip, to strengthen them and ensure their sustainability, which requires an international and local stance and the participation of residents themselves.
In her speech, UNICEF's Gaza office Director Tania McBride mentioned that the organization works with all partners in order to improve the services provided to children so that they are healthy, safe, and secure from all the influences that affect their daily lives, particularly amid the suffocating water crisis in Gaza. This event came to mark this global occasion with the noble meanings it carries for preserving water.
Islamic Relief's Director Munib Abu Ghazala also pointed to the importance of the partnership, through which the goals everyone aspires to can be achieved in a way that serves all segments of society, including those specific to the water sector and the efforts it needs to overcome the challenges it faces. He praised the participation of children and students in such events, which would strengthen their effective participation and awareness of community and public issues.
During the ceremony, prizes for the drawing competition for preparatory-stage students at public schools on water issues were distributed, organized by the Water Authority (through the program coordination unit, funded by the Austrian Development Agency) in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, with a folk dabke troupe also performing a heritage segment, through songs carrying an awareness tone about the importance of preserving water.
Meanwhile, a technical team completed a large drawing on an area reaching thirty square meters, with the participation of a number of school students and volunteers, with the drawing carrying the phrase "Our Water, Our Life," as a reminder of water's connection to all aspects of life, and the necessity of protecting water resources to ensure a better future for coming generations, while adhering to Palestinian water rights.
The event concluded with a human chain, with the participation of representatives of various institutions, students, and children, with the chain extending along the shore adjacent to the port, to remind of the risks of the water crisis continuing and worsening, and demanding support for the water sector in Palestine to advance and develop it and provide suitable, healthy, and safe water resources for coming generations and ensure a better future.
