The European Union's cooperation official for Palestine visits CMWU, Al-Furqan desalination plant in Nuseirat, Al-Satr and Al-Amal reservoirs, and the rainwater collection basin in Khan Younis.
The European Union's Cooperation Official for Palestine Visits CMWU and Some of Its Strategic Projects..
Gaza – CMWU received Ms. Alessandra Viezzer, the European Union's cooperation official for Palestine, and her accompanying delegation, who is visiting the Gaza Strip to review the water situation in the Gaza Strip and learn about the progress of work on the water and sanitation projects supported by the European Union and supervised by CMWU.
The delegation was received by CMWU's Director-General Eng. Monther Shoblaq, Eng. Maher Al-Najjar, Deputy Director-General of the Utility, and a number of department and section directors.
In turn, Eng. Shoblaq welcomed the visiting delegation, affirming the importance of this visit and the great and familiar interest it represents from the European Union in the water and sanitation sector, stressing the Utility's appreciation for the great effort, cooperation, and extended partnership between the Union and the Utility.
The visit began with a meeting at the Utility's main headquarters, which included a review of the most important developments regarding the water and sanitation situation in the Gaza Strip and the most prominent completed projects, as well as the projects currently underway, particularly those supported by the European Union, such as the seawater desalination plant south of the Gaza Strip and the desalination plant in Nuseirat camp, as well as water reservoirs, sewage stations, and other qualitative and important projects, which have a great role in developing the service provided to residents and improving the conditions suffered by the population in the Gaza Strip, as well as the need to pay attention to and support the operation and maintenance plan prepared by CMWU for water and sanitation facilities for the coming five years.
The visiting delegation then moved to a field tour that included several projects, the first of which was Al-Furqan desalination plant for Nuseirat camp, central Gaza Strip, which was opened in 2013, funded by UNICEF and the Japanese government, supplying residents with high-quality drinking water, with a production capacity of 50 cubic meters per hour, benefiting more than 5,000 residents of Nuseirat camp.
The delegation then headed to visit Al-Satr and Al-Amal reservoirs in the western area of Khan Younis governorate, south of the Gaza Strip, with each reservoir's capacity being 5,000 cubic meters, benefiting all residents of the western Al-Satr and Al-Amal areas in Khan Younis governorate.
The tour also included a visit to the rainwater collection basin in Al-Amal neighborhood area in Khan Younis governorate, south of the Strip, constructed on an area of 100 dunums, with the basin's absorption capacity being 250,000 cubic meters of rainwater collected from 30% of Khan Younis city's neighborhoods, filtering about 13,000 cubic meters daily of the water collected in this basin into the groundwater aquifer, and including a pumping station with a capacity of 2,700 cubic meters per hour to transfer the water exceeding the basin's absorption capacity to another basin located west of Khan Younis city, with 40 dunums of the basin's area considered a recreational area and green spaces for residents.
At the conclusion of the visit, Ms. Alessandra expressed her appreciation for the efforts made by CMWU in implementing these projects despite the existing challenges and obstacles, and affirmed the continuation of the European Union's support for water and sanitation projects, and its keenness on permanent cooperation with CMWU in advancing this vital and sensitive service sector.
#CMWU_is_Life
