The European Union Commissioner visits the Deir al-Balah desalination plant and announces additional €10 million in funding to raise production to 12,000 m3 daily.
CMWU Receives the European Union Commissioner on a Visit to the Seawater Desalination Plant South of Deir al-Balah, and Additional Funding of €10 Million for the Second Phase
CMWU, the Palestinian Water Authority, and a delegation from UNICEF received Mr. Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, during his visit to the seawater desalination plant south of Deir al-Balah at the end of its first phase, which will produce 6,000 cubic meters of desalinated water daily to supply 75 thousand Palestinians with drinking water in Rafah and Khan Younis, and Mr. Hahn announced during his visit the granting of additional funding of €10 million for the second phase, raising the plant's production to 12,000 cubic meters and benefiting 150 thousand Palestinians.
Mr. Hahn and his accompanying delegation were received by His Excellency Minister of Public Works Dr. Mofid Al-Hasayna, assigned by the Prime Minister's Office, Dr. Majed Awni Abu Ramadan, Chairman of CMWU's Board of Directors, Eng. Monther Shoblaq, the Utility's Director-General, and Eng. Rebhi Al-Sheikh, Deputy Chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority.
The Seawater Desalination Plant is a Vital and Strategic Project
His Excellency Minister of Public Works Dr. Mofid Al-Hasayna stated that this project is one of the most important vital and strategic projects in the Gaza Strip, which works to protect the groundwater reserve, especially amid the serious deterioration in the water situation, and praised the support of the friendly European Union for this project.
Al-Hasayna appealed to the European Union to continue supporting the Palestinian people amid the continuation of the siege and the worsening crises suffered by the residents of the Gaza Strip, especially the electricity crisis and its negative repercussions on public life.
Clean Water Fit for Use for More than 150 Thousand Palestinians
UNICEF's Special Representative to the State of Palestine June Kunugi said, "The approaching completion of the first phase of this ambitious project represents a symbol of hope and positive change in Gaza and will increase access to water fit for use, which is necessary for life and well-being."
June expressed her gratitude to the European Union for its generous support, which helps meet the urgent needs of children and families sustainably, and also thanked UNICEF's partners in implementing this project, the Palestinian Water Authority and CMWU.
For his part, European Union Commissioner Mr. Hahn spoke about the weakness of water resources in Gaza after continuous years of wars and siege, which prompted the European Union to support the desalination plant project to provide pure, clean water fit for use for more than 150 thousand Palestinians after implementing the second phase, and Hahn added that during this phase the plant will undergo intensive tests during the summer, through which the efficiency of the plant's operation and the quality of the desalinated water will be verified before beginning to distribute it to residents.
In his speech, Dr. Majed Awni Abu Ramadan praised the partnership with the European Union, pointing to the great projects it implements in all governorates of the Gaza Strip, which would improve the quality of life of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Abu Ramadan thanked President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Water Authority for their support of the desalination plant project as one of the strategic options for solving the water crisis, and also thanked UNICEF and all partner institutions for their support in implementing the project.
