Palestine: World Bank grants US$3 million for Gaza water and sanitation

The World Bank has approved a grant of US$3 million to the Gaza Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) to fund cost overruns in the implementation of a US$ 31 million project to improve access and delivery of water and sanitation services to people in the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Emergency Water Project (GEWP), which was approved in 2005, has suffered a number of delays due to hostilities and access restrictions on material and personnel which also resulted in an increase in project related costs.

The grant will ensure continued water and waste service delivery to the citizens of Gaza, and finance rehabilitation of water and sanitation networks – including pumping stations, water wells and effluent treatment plants. The grant will also be used to procure the information technology necessary to manage integrated systems.