Lebanon depends on civil initiatives and international support to secure drinking water for its population
Since the Israeli targeting of the drinking water generation station in the border town of Tair Harfa in the south at the beginning of last November, no official Lebanese party has expressed its willingness to rehabilitate the station, while a studies office cooperating with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) took the initiative to Conduct studies, according to what the mayor of the town, Qasim Haider, says, pointing out that the office made promises to fund USAID to establish it again, and to visit the site when the security situation permits.
The Tair Harfa station, which entered operation at the beginning of 2023 and was destroyed in the fall, reflects the image of the suffering of the Lebanese with the authority that was unable to provide basic services to the population, which forced them to resort to individual initiatives and international aid to secure drinking water and electrical energy to operate the pumping stations, and is now unable to restore Rehabilitating what was destroyed by Israeli bombing in the border areas in the south, and they had no choice but to resort to international aid, most notably the European Union and the US Agency for International Development, to improve basic services, ensure water access to tens of thousands of residents, and manage wastewater.
Effects of destruction in the Tair Harfa power station and the water pumping station (National Agency)
Haider says that the solar power generation station for the water pumping station in the town of Tair Harfa, before its destruction, consisted of 200 solar panels, and was financed by contributions from the townspeople, before the residents discovered that the pump installed on the Ain al-Zarqa spring in the town was not sufficient for the residents’ needs. The Italian unit working within the UNIFIL forces donated funding for a larger pump that pumps more than 45 cubic meters per hour, and it entered service last July. The pump and solar panels were soon “completely destroyed as a result of an Israeli bombing” on November 3, Which has now left the town without water or electricity as well, as a result of an Israeli bombing that plunged the remaining residents of the town into darkness.
2⃣ Air raids, which also led to the destruction of the solar energy system in the town of Tair Harfa, which the corporation uses to operate the town’s well, and the construction and cables were completely damaged. Our facilities in Wadi Al-Saluki were also subjected to bombing, which also affected the electricity network, which led to the stations of Wadi Al-Saluki, Markba, and Al-Taiba stopping working. pic.twitter.com/pnv2N2H4nF
– South Lebanon Water Corporation (@SLWETWT) November 6, 2023
Local and international support
Since 2020, Lebanon has been suffering from a decline in electrical supply, coinciding with an economic and living crisis that has affected a large portion of the Lebanese and has prevented the state from providing basic services. This prompted residents to search for alternatives. As people seek to provide available alternatives “within individual capabilities,” the role of international intervention has emerged to secure basic needs, including pumping water, providing energy supplies to pumping stations, and treating wastewater, in addition to other services such as rehabilitating health care centers and schools and empowering teachers. And other basics that the state is unable to provide.
While villagers resorted to collecting donations from those who were financially able, international initiatives contributed to financing similar projects to provide drinking water to the population, especially in towns where this cost exceeds the capabilities of the local population, as part of a strategy to support the Lebanese who are suffering as a result of the crisis, and contribute to lifting their burdens. In light of their hosting of Syrian refugees.
American support
Providing basic services, such as water, maintaining electricity transformers, and sewage treatment, represents an important part of the interventions of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the European Union mission in Lebanon. The Community Support Program in Lebanon (CSP), funded by the United States Agency for International Development, has developed a strategic plan with funding amounting to $100 million, which is being implemented between 2018 and 2025 to provide a wide range of support to vulnerable communities, improve the provision of basic services, and enhance opportunities. economic development, and improving livelihoods in the regions of northern and southern Lebanon and the Bekaa.
Urgent interventions, say those in charge of the program, include repairing and rehabilitating infrastructure and purchasing equipment such as water tanks, generators and electrical transformers that improve basic services and provide relief to vulnerable communities. As for long-term interventions, they include recyclable solid waste management, wastewater management, solar energy solutions, agricultural equipment, livelihood support, workforce development by improving technical and vocational education for three promising sectors and developing sustainable links with practical training opportunities and jobs within private sector.
Work continues in full swing to operate the water pumping station in the town of Bishwat in Baalbek district, through the solar energy project, which is implemented by the local community support program funded by USAID, and benefits about 3,760 people in Bashwat, Al-Mushairfa, Zarzir, and Al-Safra, and enhances the growth of the sector. agriculture in the region. pic.twitter.com/PHA4hLELi6
— CSPLebanon (@CspLebanon) October 5, 2023
Data from the CSP program, a copy of which was obtained by Asharq Al-Awsat, indicate that more than 100 municipal and community assistance interventions have been implemented so far, benefiting more than a million people in more than 150 villages.
The program implemented more than 20 projects installing solar panels “to enhance the provision of basic services such as access to water supplies, household electricity, and street lighting.” It also implemented the construction of 3 elevated water tanks to pump drinking water for more than 21,000 beneficiaries, in addition to building and rehabilitating 3 treatment plants. Wastewater, capable of treating more than 12 thousand cubic meters of sewage per day, in addition to other projects to provide job opportunities and help those affected by the Beirut Port explosion.
As for the second program, which specializes in providing a drinking water and sanitation management project, which is also funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), its value is $44 million and will be implemented between the years 2021 and 2024, and helps the country’s water utilities deal with this problem.
European Union
In addition to American aid, the European Union delegation in Lebanon allocated part of its aid to providing drinking water and treating sewage as well, and since August 2020, it began supporting water institutions by ensuring the operation and maintenance of all major water infrastructure facilities in the country, in order to provide Minimum services for the majority of the population in Lebanon.
Data from the European Union mission, which Asharq Al-Awsat reviewed, indicate that more than 700 water pumping sites were repaired between 2020 and the end of 2022, ensuring the supply of water for between one and two hours per day to about 500,000 people per month.
The European Union mission in Lebanon says that this intervention was essential to ensure minimal efforts to limit the spread of cholera. Data indicate that since June 2023, the European Union has intensified its support for the continued operation of 11 major wastewater treatment plants in Lebanon. This support will be provided “to the water and sanitation sectors until the end of the Ministry’s five-year sector recovery plan (2021-2026).”
It is expected that the cost of this support for the water sector only (from August 2020 to December 2026) will amount to about 70 million euros (35 million euros have already been spent), and it is also expected that the cost of this support for the sanitation sector only (from June (2023 to December 2026) about 50 million euros.
In addition to this operational support, the European Union provided technical assistance and investments in infrastructure to improve the performance of water institutions, including supplying some pumping stations with solar energy.
During the past three years, the Union has financed 22 solar-powered stations for extracting and pumping water in Lebanon. In order to ensure continuity, several infrastructure projects will be implemented aimed at improving performance and reducing operations costs, including 12 solar energy projects, with a financial value of approximately 30 million euros. A project will also be implemented to improve water resources management, with funding of approximately 17 million euros.
1⃣A well has been rehabilitated #Jorat_the_market in #Jezzine In partnership with UNICEF and funded by the European Union, the works included installing a new VFD to replace the damaged one, and maintaining the well’s submersible pumping group on 11/9/2023. pic.twitter.com/rHr0RSsdCf
– South Lebanon Water Corporation (@SLWETWT) November 13, 2023
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2024-01-21 12:59:32
