DOHA: As winter approaches, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has started a new water and sanitation project to protect houses and shops from floods during the rainy season in Gaza.
The $3m (QR10,918,700) project is co-funded by the Programme of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Reconstruction of Gaza, under the supervision of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), and QRCS.
According to official reports, 551 households were flooded across Gaza last year, and nearly 1,000 greenhouses were damaged. Public movement was restricted in many areas, and schools and marketplaces shut down.
Khaled Zidane, Infrastructure and Construction Officer at QRCS Gaza Office, said, “As part of its continuous work in Palestine, QRCS has begun a project to develop Asqula Endowment Pond, Gaza City, construct a rainwater capture and storage system in Beer Al-Naaja, Jabalia, and re-use the collected water in Khan Younis.”
More than 1.2 million cubic metres of rainwater will be collected per year and injected into Gaza’s groundwater, to reverse the overuse and low-quality water.
The project will cover 18.5 donum land in Asqula Endowment District, eastern Gaza City. To protect parts of the city against flooding, one-third of rainwater will be stored in Asqula Pond, instead of letting it flow towards Sheikh Radwan Pond, central Gaza. The 4-7 metre upper mud layer will be replaced with clean sand to allow natural filtration of rainwater into groundwater. Also, a 12 donum public park will be set up to serve the overpopulated, underdeveloped area.
In Beer Al-Naaja, a 7 donum series of rainwater filtration wells will be constructed to produce 700,000 cubic metre drinking water per year, or 70,000 water cups per day.
In Khan Younis, additional 3,000 cubic metres per day will be treated at the governorate’s water treatment station, which produces almost 12,000 cubic metres of treated water that ends up directly in the sea.
These huge amounts of water will be re-used to irrigate more than 1,000 donums of fruit trees in Al-Mawasi District, western Khan Younis.
The design and architectural schemes are in progress and expected to be completed within three months. Then, a public tender will be floated to award the one-year contract to a construction contractor.
Deputy Head of the Palestinian Water Authority (PWA), Ribhi Al Sheikh, said, “It is an important step towards integrated management of the water sector in Gaza. Rainwater is a main source of input for groundwater. The government, partners, and everyone are responsible for protecting the sources of water, preventing contaminants and pollutants, and preserving the environment and public health.
Studies show that wastewater constitutes 30 percent of the sources of water in Gaza.
QRCS’ new project will support the efforts of reclaiming and re-suing water, to offer improved services to the Palestinian people.
THE PENINSULA
