Jul, 2022
Anera’s repairs of a water pumping station in Gaza improves life for thousands
Climate warming is affecting so many around the globe. The Middle East is no exception. Gaza may be among the hardest hit. Less than 10% of residents have access to clean water for cooking and cleaning. Many water wells and pumping stations are in disrepair. And getting regular access to water in the home is a challenge.
For many years, Um Naji and her husband had to walk a long distance to the mosque to fill their water jugs and buckets at the well there because the pumping station close to home was damaged. Um Naji found the chore of collecting water tiresome. “My hands and back would ache.” She says her family would have to take turns to bathe, which often made her husband late for work at the farm.
In her makeshift house, the mother of five worried about getting through the heat of summer without water.
“The heat waves are so long now," she says. "My mind was constantly preoccupied with getting water.”
“We can shower, clean the dishes and do the laundry. It’s like heaven.”
Thanks to Anera, that has changed. With funding from Islamic Relief USA, Anera repaired and improved Mughraqa pumping station, adding solar panels to ensure reliable water access despite frequent power grid cuts, and increasing its pumping capacity from 40 liters to 95 liters a day per family. Now 12,555 nearby residents have direct access to water in their homes.
Um Naji says she and her neighbors are grateful for Anera’s repairs to the pumping station, which means access to water in their homes. She remembers what it was like when there was no water at all. “We have to take care of our water supply and use it wisely,” she says.
“We have to take care of our water supply and use it wisely.”
The views expressed herein are those of Anera and shall not, in any way whatsoever, be construed to reflect the official opinion of IRUSA, its Islamic Relief affiliates, or its donors.
