Teqou’, West Bank – On Thursday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the U.S. Government celebrated the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) hand-over of a new water well service rig to the Palestinian Water Authority in the Southern West Bank. Head of the West Bank Water Department Mr. Khalil Ghabeesh, and USAID Mission Director Michael Harvey attended the event together with other Palestinian Authority (PA) representatives. The high-performance rig will take over much of the work that has up until now been done using an older machine and will give the Palestinian Water Authority an increased ability to service existing wells and assure a regular flow of water to communities. This assistance is part of the U.S. Government’s ongoing support of the PA’s efforts to develop West Bank infrastructure.
The $2.4 million rig will regularly service 58 large potable water wells in the West Bank that are owned and operated by the Palestinian Water Authority and West Bank Water Department. The project is part of USAID’s $358 million, five-year Infrastructure Needs Program, implemented in cooperation with the PA, to provide infrastructure assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank. Other projects include construction of schools and rehabilitation of roads, and construction and rehabilitation of water systems and distribution networks. In addition to strengthening infrastructure, these large-scale projects create jobs for hundreds of Palestinians. USAID’s Infrastructure Needs Program supports the needs of the Palestinian people and the efforts of the PA to build the institutions for a future Palestinian state.
In 2010, approximately 160 kilometers of roads were rehabilitated at a cost of $77 million, while $30 million was spent on water distribution networks and reservoirs in the West Bank to improve water supply for Palestinian households and businesses. Work is continuing on an additional 31 kilometers of roads.
Since 1994, the U.S. Government, through USAID, has provided more than $3.4 billion in economic assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. USAID coordinates closely with the PA to support projects that reduce poverty, improve health and education, build infrastructure, create jobs, and promote democracy and good governance. |
