Inauguration of the Southwest Nablus Villages Water Supply Project

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, September 9, 2014
USAID West Bank & Gaza Press Office at wbgpro@usaid.gov
03-5114845

Asira Al-Qibliya, West Bank – On Tuesday, September 9th, the Palestinian Authority and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), celebrated the completion of the Southwest Nablus Villages Water Supply Project.  USAID invested $7.4 million in this project to improve the water supply and quality to more than 8,500 citizens in the villages of Asira Al-Qibliya, Madama and Urif, for the first time.

Nablus Governor Akram Rajoub; Palestinian Water Authority Head Minister Mazen Ghuneim; USAID West Bank and Gaza Mission Director Dave Harden; heads of the municipal councils; and community representatives were present at the inauguration.

As a result of this project, residents of the three villages now have access to piped water for the first time, at a price significantly lower than what they have been paying for tankered water.  The water comes from a secure source that is tested, and its quality is significantly higher than tankered water. 

Under this project, USAID constructed three 500 m3 reservoirs in Asira Al-Qibliya, Madama and Urif villages; installed a ten km long transmission pipeline from an existing reservoir in Burin previously constructed by USAID in 2009; placed 42 km of distribution networks in each of the three villages; and rehabilitated 32 km of the internal roads in the three villages that will enhance road safety and reduce travel time.  USAID also installed 1,500 pre-paid water meters in the three villages to assist the Palestinian Water Authority with collecting fees for the water services provided and ensure the project’s sustainability.  In addition, the project generated more than 19,000 days of employment. 

The U.S. Government, through USAID, is the leading provider of bilateral development assistance to the Palestinians, having provided more than $4.5 billion since 1994 for programs in the areas of democracy and governance; education; health and humanitarian assistance; private enterprise; and water resources and infrastructure.

For more information on U.S. assistance, please contact USAID Press Office at wbgpro@usaid.gov or call 03-5114845.