Ghuneim: a safe winter after the opening of the North Gaza Sewage Treatment Plant | PWA
Publish date: 2019/01/15

Ghuneim: a safe winter after the opening of the North Gaza Sewage Treatment Plant

Head of Water Authority Eng. Mazen Ghuneim said that since we opened the sewage treatment plant in northern Gaza, it works efficiently over nine months, towards solving the sanitation crisis in the North. This is clear through the effects of the station operation on the advanced treatment system, as clearly reflected the status of drainage basins and ponds in Beit Hanun, which has always been a threat to the lives of citizens. Eng. Ghuneim stressed that the project emerged from the emergency intervention force to be long term solution, which could only be achieved by the hard work of the water authority and steady support of the Donors community.

Where the station received 7.5 million cubic meters of wastewater since its opening until the end of the year, Pumping to the basins of Beit Lahia and Al-Baraka was completely suspended since July 2018, and 33,000 m 3 per day is transferred to the plant. The total capacity is 35,600 m3 per day, more than 80% of 300 acres of the total area of the pond and random pond dried up, and the work is done to dry the rest of the pond.

In this context, civil society, citizens and municipalities of Umm al-Nasser, Beit Lahia and Jabalia stressed that the project constituted a qualitative transfer as a success story that contributed to the disposal of wastewater. Where the ponds were a concern for the population and threatening their lives, and the winter season become an obsession due to rainwater gathering on the one hand, and increased level of the height of the pond, which increased the risk of basin collapse and flooding, but this season was different and safer for the first time in years.

In conclusion, all parties commended the efforts of the Water Authority and the supporting efforts to resolve complex and chronic problems that will enhance water security, wishing that the Water Authority would continue to cooperate and support under difficult economic and social conditions to provide operational expenses to ensure the success and sustainability of these projects.

The station is considered as one of the most vital and strategic projects implemented by the water authority, in cooperation with international partners, the World Bank, the French Development Agency, the Belgian Government and the European Commission and the Swedish International Development Agency. Where the cost of the project reached in all its components to about 125 million US dollars.

In March of 2007, we lost three citizens in the random wastewater pools northeast of Beit Lahiya, and after all efforts, we have succeeded to run the station and protect citizens from danger and floods. The positive impact of the project is not ed to residents of the area, but it will improve the environmental situation in the Gaza Strip generally and will stop the pollution in the underground reservoir of northern Gaza and which feeds a large part of Gaza City, the project is the beginning of a new phase will halt environmental degradation.

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