Goal: To improve water security and flood management in West Bank and Gaza

Summary/Activities: Both the West Bank and Gaza suffer from severe water scarcity issues, both because of the conflict with Israel (including discriminatory water sharing agreements) and climate change. In response to the crisis, UNICEF has introduced multiple water supply projects in the region including: • In the West Bank, UNICEF supported the rehabilitation of traditional cisterns contributing to collecting rain water and increasing water availability to households not connected to water networks. This has led to a reduction in water extraction, protecting aquifers and reducing environmental impact. • In Gaza, UNICEF has supported the rehabilitation of water networks, reducing water leakage and improving the efficiency of Palestine’s water supply systems and therefore it’s climate resilience. As efficiency increases, emissions have also been reduced, as less energy is needed to pump and distribute the water. This has also helped to reduce Gaza’s carbon footprint. • UNICEF has supported the construction of a Short Term Low Volume (STLV) seawater desalination plant in Gaza, with solar power covering 10% of the plant’s energy requirement. UNICEF is also partnering with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to install a first-of-its-kind photovoltaic-powered desalination prototype system, which uses only 60% of the energy required for conventional desalination systems. • In Gaza, a large infiltration pond is currently being constructed to improve flood management. This intervention will also directly contribute to the recharge of the highly depleted costal aquifers and prevent sea water.

More info: https://www.unicef.org/wash/oPt_95521.html https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/oPt_100684.html https://www.unicef.org/media/media_94423.html