Gaza 100 Challenge Water Plant Opening
Islamic Help’s supporters have been praised by a Gaza community for funding a new water plant to meet their daily needs.
The plant at Wadi as Salqa was destroyed in the 2014 conflict, leaving more than 9,000 people without clean water to meet their hygiene and domestic needs.
Islamic Help launched the Gaza 100 Challenge to raise £100,000 for the construction of a new plant. The facility was officially opened just before Ramadan 2015 and is fully operational, providing the area with water on tap for hygiene, washing, bathing and laundry.
A host of local civic dignitaries joined Islamic Help staff for the opening which included a ribbon cutting ceremony. Yahia Abu Slaisel, from the Wadi As Salqa Municipality, said the new plant was vital for the community which relied on agriculture for its livelihood.
“The most important thing in strengthening the core of the civilians in this community is water, because water is the essence of life,” said Mr Slaisel.
“It is what they use to water their crops, because the majority of the civilians of this community have agricultural jobs and need water to be steadfast with their land.
“Therefore, we would specifically thank our brothers in the charity Islamic Help in Britain, the donors and the financiers of this big project.”
Dr. Wael Abdlal, Islamic Help’s Gaza office manager, said the availability of clean water was among the most pressing needs in Gaza and required urgent solutions.
“Islamic Help made the project of building water wells one of the essential projects in improving lives. It is constantly striving to support the people of Gaza,” he told guests.
“We celebrate the opening of this well one day before the start of the blessed month of Ramadan when good deeds and rewards are multiplied.
“We give all our thanks and gratitude to all those who donated and contributed to the building of this well.”
To improve the supply and availability of clean water in Gaza, Islamic Help has launched another major project, Water4Gaza, to build a water purification plant for Al Shifa Hospital.
The hospital is Gaza’s largest and treats more than 500,000 patients each year. Its water supply is from Gaza’s underground aquifer but is salinized (contaminated with salt) and other pollutants, making it unfit for human consumption. The new filtration plant will purify the water making it safe for drinking and use in hygiene and medical procedures.
Support our Gaza4Water appeal. Improve the quality of life for the people of Gaza. Donate today.
