CMWU's participation in a scientific symposium at Al-Israa University on the risks of the Israeli aggression on the water and environment sectors in Gaza.
CMWU Participates in a Scientific Symposium on the Risks of the Israeli Aggression on the Gaza Strip (May 2021)
Gaza – CMWU
CMWU participated in the scientific symposium organized by the Energy and Environment Research Center at Al-Israa University at the university's main headquarters in Al-Zahra city, central Gaza Strip, titled "Assessing the Risks of the May 2021 Israeli Aggression on the Environment and Economy Sectors in the Gaza Strip", attended by CMWU's Director-General Eng. Monther Shoblaq, Ministry of Local Government's Undersecretary Eng. Ahmed Abu Ras, Gaza Municipality's Mayor Dr. Yahya Al-Sarraj, Deir al-Balah Municipality's Mayor Mr. Diab Al-Jarou, Al-Israa University's Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Ahmed Al-Wadiya, Dr. Ali Shaheen, Dean of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research, Dr. Abdel Fattah Qarman, Head of the university's Energy and Environment Research Center, and representatives from the Ministries of Public Works and Housing and Agriculture, the Environment Quality Authority, the Energy Authority, and Civil Defense.
In turn, Dr. Ahmed Al-Wadiya delivered the university's speech, explaining the importance and role of scientific research in serving society and developing academics' research capacities, as it is the means through which peoples and nations advance and overcome the ordeals they go through.
This scientific symposium included discussing the damage sustained by the water and sanitation, energy, environment, and agriculture sectors, in addition to the impact of the aggression on the national economy and people's lives.
In turn, Eng. Monther Shoblaq explained the extent of the destruction sustained by water and sanitation facilities and networks as a result of the recent Israeli aggression, which led to a water cutoff to some areas and sewage water leaking for several days in public places and mixing with drinking water in some areas as a result of the occupation's bombing of the main sewage transmission lines, in addition to numerous damages to water and sanitation networks, which are expected to appear during the coming periods with the start of leaks appearing in water and sanitation networks as a result of the concussion bombs used by the occupation, the effects of which reach the target location and other distant places, thereby affecting the various components of those networks.
Eng. Monther Shoblaq also explained that, since the very first moment of the aggression, CMWU activated the emergency plan that CMWU had prepared in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Strip's municipalities, and the Water Authority after the 2014 war, drawing in its preparation on the lessons learned from working during previous wars and the repeated rainwater flooding during winter seasons, with 11 emergency warehouses equipped in all areas of the Gaza Strip containing the equipment and spare parts for emergency maintenance works, in addition to training CMWU's and the municipalities' crews to work during emergencies, particularly during wars, which contributed to the speed of response by the maintenance crews in various areas to temporarily repair the war's damage, aiming to ensure the continuation of water and sanitation services at the minimum level possible, in addition to coding CMWU's and the municipalities' vehicles with numbers specific to water services and providing the International Committee of the Red Cross with those codes, in order to prevent the Israeli occupation from targeting the technical crews during their field work, in addition to equipping old machinery, pumps, and generators and identifying the locations of water and sanitation facilities and sharing them with all parties to prevent or reduce the chances of them being targeted.
