Clean water and independence, Gaza’s desalination plant provides hope

The first phase of the project is expected to provide 55 million cups of clean water annually

by Mohammed Asad

The EU-funded small-scale desalination plant near Deir Al Balah in the besieged Gaza Strip on 1 April 2021 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

The EU-funded small-scale desalination plant near Deir Al Balah in the besieged Gaza Strip is expected to provide clean water for the whole population of Gaza once completed.

The first phase of the project is expected to provide 55 million cups of clean water annually, it will also see water being carried from the south of the Strip to the north and the establishment of reservoirs and water networks to help manage water resources and reduce waste.

Director-General of Projects at the Ministry of Local Government in Gaza, Zuhdi Al-Ghareez, told MEMO: “The second phase will include an electric power plant which will use wind turbines in the 4 MW range and 2MW PV solar panels in addition to diesel generators.”

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Al-Ghareez said the project aims to desalinate seawater as one of the short-term alternative solutions to meet the Strip’s water needs. It also provides Gaza with its own facility to produce clean water.

The UN has previously warned that 96 per cent of water in Gaza is not safe for drinking.

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