A high-level delegation from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) visited the sewage treatment plant "Sufa", east of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip.
The delegation included the Special Representative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Yvonne Healy, the director of operations in the program, Ahmed Al-Hamal, Iman Al-Husseini, director of the Gaza office, and Ashraf Abu Shamala, director of the treatment plant construction project.
The delegation was received by the Director General of the Coastal Municipalities Water Authority, Munther Shiblak, and the Mayor of Khan Yunis, Alaa El-Din Al-Batta, and Yahya Abu Obeid, Director of the treatment plant.
The aim of this visit is to closely examine the efficiency of operating the treatment plant that was delivered at the end of last year by the project contractor through UNDP for the Water Authority to operate it, and the challenges facing the utility and the Khan Yunis municipality in order to continue operating it and maintain treatment efficiency, in addition to continuing work The rest of its components are filter basins and conveyor lines.
It is noteworthy that the Khan Yunis treatment plant with all its components, including filter basins, conveyor lines, and the rehabilitation program for the central station in Khan Yunis, was established with joint funding from the Japanese government and the Kuwait Fund for Development through the Islamic Development Bank in the administration of "UNDP", and in cooperation and coordination with the Coastal Municipalities Water Authority and the Palestinian Water Authority. And the municipality of Khan Yunis.
The Mayor of Khan Yunis, a member of the Board of Directors of the Water Authority, welcomed the visiting delegation, and emphasized the importance and results of the cooperation of all parties involved in the implementation of the construction of the treatment plant, which led to the development of this highly efficient station that helped the municipality and the authority to start raising the environmental and health damage to the residents of Khan Yunis. And looking forward to continuing this cooperation in order to serve the rest of the residents of Khan Yunis from the eastern towns of the governorate.
In turn, Munther Shiblak welcomed the delegation of "UNDP", stressing the interest and cooperation of the department and the municipality to continue operating the treatment plant with the required efficiency by appointing a highly efficient operational team under the supervision and management of the Coastal Water Authority.
He emphasized that there are some challenges to continuing to operate the treatment plant, the most important of which is the lack of an operational budget for the treatment plant, similar to the rest of the newly developed strategic treatment plants, and the agreement with the institutions funding them to allocate an operational budget for these plants for a transitional period until the economic situation in the Gaza Strip improves. The importance of UNDP cooperation with the Water Authority and the municipality of Khanwins, through communicating with the donor institutions for this project, in order to allocate an operating budget for the treatment plant for the next few years, and until the collection rates of the municipalities benefiting from this plant improve, the most important of which is the municipality of Khan Yunis.
At the end of the visit, Yvon Healy appreciated the existing cooperation with the Water Authority and the municipality of Khan Yunis, which led to the success in establishing this distinctive and highly efficient plant, with its commitment to communicate with relevant national and international institutions in order to support the operational expenses of the treatment plant, calling for continued cooperation and coordination between The Water Authority and UNDP, in order to sustain the operation of the treatment plant and expand its scope of work to serve the rest of Khan Yunis.
It is worth noting that the sewage treatment plant and the filtration basins attached to it, located in the east of Khan Yunis Governorate, are among the strategic projects that will effectively improve the wastewater system, and will contribute to improving the health and environmental situation of the residents of Khan Yunis by ending the suffering of the population from the problem of drilling Absorption and utilization of treated water by injecting it into the aquifer and reusing it in the agricultural sector.
