The Chairman and members of CMWU's Board of Directors receive the Minister of Local Government at the Central treatment plant in Al-Bureij, funded by Germany at €70 million.
The Chairman and Members of CMWU's Board of Directors Receive the Minister of Local Government at the Central Treatment Plant in Al-Bureij
Gaza / CMWU
His Excellency the Minister of Local Government Eng. Majdi Al-Saleh visited yesterday the Central sewage treatment plant east of Al-Bureij in the Central Governorate, and was received by Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan, Chairman of CMWU's Board of Directors, accompanied by Eng. Shoblaq, the Utility's Director-General, and Eng. Fareed Ashour, Director of the Central Gaza Sewage Project Management Unit.
In turn, Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan welcomed Minister Majdi Al-Saleh during the meeting held at the plant's headquarters, in the presence of Board members and the Minister's accompanying delegation from the Ministry of Local Government and the Municipal Development and Lending Fund, with Dr. Abu Ramadan praising the joint cooperation between the Palestinian National Authority and the German government aiming to improve water and sanitation services, including allocating a grant of €70 million through the KfW institution in order to construct the Central treatment plant project with all its components.
Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan affirmed that this project is at the forefront of the strategic projects implemented in the homeland's governorates, as the plant is the largest at the national level and relies on the latest technology in the treatment process, which relies primarily on providing electrical power from the biogas generated by the treatment process, in addition to constructing a renewable energy production unit via solar cells with a capacity of 3.5 megawatts, to serve nearly a million residents in Gaza and Central governorates.
Dr. Majed added that before beginning the construction of the Central treatment plant, the sewage system rehabilitation project in Gaza city was implemented, which included rehabilitating the Sheikh Ajleen station to operate in parallel with the Central plant until the completion of the second and third phases, so that it becomes capable of treating Gaza city's sewage water with high efficiency, in addition to rehabilitating transmission lines and coastal pumping stations, noting that work is currently underway to rehabilitate Wadi Gaza to receive the treated water in order to revive the natural reserve in the wadi, with the treated water to be reused in agriculture.
Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan praised, during the meeting, the German government and its constant keenness on developing the water and sanitation sector in the Gaza Strip, with CMWU having recently signed a new agreement, under the auspices of Prime Minister Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh, through the German Development Bank KfW and in cooperation with the Water Authority, during last December, in order to support energy projects in the water and sanitation sector.
In turn, CMWU's Director-General Eng. Monther Shoblaq gave, during the meeting, a brief overview of the project's phases, with its first phase completed by constructing the treatment plant, which will be able to treat 60,000 cubic meters of sewage water, at a total value of about €40 million, in addition to about €20 million to complete the plant's complementary projects, including pressure lines and gravity lines, and the Central pumping station to collect water from the Central Governorate and Gaza city, with the second phase of the project set to begin during 2025 by expanding the plant to reach 120,000 cubic meters/day, a phase aiming to transfer and treat all of Gaza city's sewage water at the Central plant and begin closing Sheikh Ajleen station.
At the end of the meeting, Dr. Majed Abu Ramadan accompanied the Minister of Local Government Eng. Majdi Al-Saleh and the attendees on an inspection tour of the plant, during which Eng. Fareed Ashour, Director of the Central Gaza Sewage Project Management Unit, informed the Minister and the attendees of the plant's components, the nature of each department's work, and the techniques and technology used at the plant and its operating mechanism, with Eng. Ashour affirming the plant's modernity and its keeping pace with the latest technologies reached in this field.
At the end of the tour, the Minister expressed his admiration for the plant and praised the effort exerted for the success of this project, wishing everyone success, and affirming his ministry's support for CMWU and its backing to complete its journey and achieve its goals in providing the best service to residents in the water and sanitation sector.
