PWA, USAID and Anera Inaugurate Three Water Reservoirs
March 31, 2016 | On March 31, 2016, the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), USAID and Anera inaugurated three water reservoirs that provide a regular supply of potable water to 6,750 Palestinians in the villages of Jinsafut, Falamya, and Rantis, in the northern West Bank. The ceremony was attended by Qalqilya Governor Rafe’ Rawajbeh, Head of the PWA Mazen Ghunaim, Minister of Local Government Hussein Al-Araj, Jinsafut Mayor Nafeth Bashir, Falamya Mayor Yousef El-Thaher, Rantis Mayor Mo’ayyad Odeh, USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission Director Dave Harden, and Anera Country Director Paul Butler.
USAID invested nearly $1.3 million to construct three water reservoirs and install 4,256 linear meters of water pipelines, generating 8,214 days of employment. Prior to the intervention, the three villages were served by old, undersized water networks that leaked and lacked sufficient water storage capacity and pressure. Water shortages were frequent occurrences, particularly during the summer months, and local residents had to purchase costly tankered water.
As a result of the new, larger-diameter pipes and elevated water reservoirs, residents of the three villages now have a steady water supply in their homes year round, improving their quality of life. The project connected some neighborhoods to the water network for the first time and, as a result of the intervention, residents living in areas of higher elevation now have a steady water supply to their homes. In addition, the new pipelines minimize water losses.
As part of the project, in Falamya USAID constructed a 200 cubic meter elevated water reservoir and installed 127 linear meters of pipes, a renovated pump, and a chlorination unit. In Rantis, a significantly larger village, USAID constructed a 500 cubic meter elevated water reservoir and installed 1,382 linear meters of pipelines. In Jinsafut, USAID constructed a 500 cubic meter elevated reservoir, which houses three administrative offices, and installed 2,747 linear meters of pipelines. These interventions were implemented by Anera through the Palestinian Community Infrastructure Development Program.
Since 2000, USAID has invested more than $300 million dollars for hundreds of water and wastewater projects in the West Bank and Gaza that has improved access to water to over one million people. These projects included installing 900 kilometers of water pipelines; building or renovating 28 reservoirs; drilling or renovating 29 wells; and connecting 130,000 Palestinians to running water for the first time.
About Anera
Since 1968, Anera has been a leading provider of development, health, education, and employment programs to vulnerable communities and impoverished families throughout the Middle East. Anera reaches the region’s most vulnerable people with health, education and economic development programs and provides humanitarian and emergency relief in times of crisis. In 2016, the relief and development agency delivered over $57 million in programs to people in Lebanon and Palestine.