U.S. Government Finalizes a $48.5 Million Water Project in Bani Naim

Thursday August 16, 2007 12:56 by George Rishmawi - IMEMC News

U.S. Consul General Jacob Walles attended the opening ceremony of a U.S. Government funded water project in Bani Naim village near the southern West Bank city of Hebron, on Wednesday.

Project in Bani Naim (Photo US Consulate)

This $48.5 million project will provide clean water for more than half a million Palestinians in the Hebron district, the largest in Palestine.

“This important initiative will ensure reliable water service for 600,000 Palestinians who are currently subject to significant water supply disruptions. The project affirms our support of the Palestinian Authority and its efforts to build a stable and economically viable Palestinian state,” US Consul General Walles stated in his remarks.

The ceremony was also attended by the Governor of Hebron Hussein Al Araj, the Chairman of the Palestinian Water Authority Fadel Kawash and the Mayor of Hebron Khaled Osaily, in addition to Mark Ward, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

The final stage of the project will install water pumps, motors, and other electromechanical equipment, a press release by the U.S. Consulate stated.

Previously, USAID funded additional infra-structure improvements in Hebron communities: the construction and installation of 21 miles of pipeline, two water pumping stations, two groundwater wells, three storage reservoirs, and 14 miles of high-voltage power lines. Transportation between Eastern Hebron communities has also been significantly improved by the USAID funded paving of 21 miles of dirt road.

According to the press release, the American people have spent more than $1.7 billion in the West Bank and Gaza since 1993 to combat poverty, create jobs, improve education, build roads and water systems, construct and equip medical clinics, and promote good governance.

According to the above figures, the average annual aid for the Palestinians reaches up to $121 Million. Meanwhile, the total of U.S. Direct Aid to Israel from the U.S. Government, including military aid mounted up to $108 billion since 1948, with an average of $1.8 billion per year.

hebron | international politics | news report george at imemc dot org