Organizing a focus group meeting with residents of Al-Wafaa area in Khan Younis to discuss the rainwater drainage project planned for implementation over the coming months.
Organizing a Focus Group Meeting with Residents of Al-Wafaa Area in Khan Younis to Discuss the Rainwater Drainage Project
Gaza / CMWU
CMWU, in cooperation with Khan Younis Municipality, held a focus group meeting with residents living in "Al-Wafaa" area near Al-Huda Mosque, in order to discuss the rainwater drainage project planned for implementation over the coming few months, and the plans developed and the various efforts to overcome the risks of destructive floods forming, to ease the extent of the damage that might occur to residents in the aforementioned area.
The meeting was attended by CMWU's Board member and Khan Younis Municipality's Mayor Eng. Alaa Al-Din Al-Batta, the Director of the Design Department at CMWU Eng. Mo'taz Abu Al-Qumbuz, Municipal Council member Dr. Mohammed Al-Akkad, the project's consultant Dr. Fahd Rabah, and with the participation of the area's residents.
In this context, Eng. Alaa Al-Din Al-Batta affirmed that great efforts made by Khan Younis Municipality, CMWU, and the Palestinian Water Authority resulted in the sisterly State of Kuwait's approval to provide financial support through UNICEF to implement the rainwater drainage project, which includes constructing a (culvert) and rainwater lines in the aforementioned area, which will be connected to the existing rainwater drainage network, and transported directly to the main collection pool located north of Al-Amal neighborhood, noting the importance of the project to accommodate all the quantities of rain arriving to the area, as it is one of the lowest-lying places in Khan Younis, with water arriving to it from several neighborhoods, noting that the project was delayed as a result of the lack of funding and the difficulty of procedures due to the current conditions, explaining that the Municipality's, UNICEF's, CMWU's, and the Water Authority's crews are directly aware of the scale of the problem residents suffer from every year during the winter season.
In turn, Eng. Mo'taz Abu Al-Qumbuz affirmed that CMWU highly appreciates the suffering afflicting residents in Al-Wafaa area, as it is located in one of the lowest-lying areas in Khan Younis, explaining that CMWU had contacted numerous donor bodies and relief and service organizations in order to secure the support allocated to implement the project, which will serve approximately (300) thousand people, as well as supporting the water, sanitation, and rainwater drainage sectors in all municipalities to preserve residents' lives and property.
Residents' comments, inquiries, and complaints were heard, which CMWU's management and Khan Younis Municipality consider feedback to benefit from, and the inquiries were answered and residents' observations were taken into consideration in order to implement them within the available capabilities.
