On World Water Day, European Union and UNICEF reaffirm commitment to support sustainable water management in Lebanon through development projects

On World Water Day, European Union and UNICEF reaffirm commitment to support sustainable water management in Lebanon through development projects

NNA - On the occasion of World Water Day, the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Water Establishment (EBML) in partnership with UNICEF and the European Union, inaugurated the newly rehabilitated Tallet Al Khayat station,one of the oldest water pumping stations in Beirut. 

The project has been developed to provide improved and sustainable water services to more than half a million peoplein Beirut through a system relying on gravity and pumping.

Amid the continuous crisis affecting the water infrastructure, access to water is still one of the biggest challenges, putting the health of millions of people, particularly children, at risk.

Through its long-standing partnership with UNICEF, the European Union has been one of the strongest supporters of Lebanon’s water sector amid the continuous crisis. Since November 2018 it has so far contributed EUR130 million to develop and implement water projects and strengthen national capacity of the water establishments to ensure public access to water resources now and for the future.

“Today, on World Water Day we invite every actor to consider public water and wastewater services as an urgent national priority”, said European Union Ambassador to Lebanon Ralph Tarraf. “Exiting the crisis in the sector and achieving a sustainable solution while providing citizens with reliable water services should be a collective responsibility, with the Government, the water establishments, and citizens each having roles and responsibilities.”

“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with the EU to improve access to water in Lebanon especially during these challenging times where millions of people are still affected by the limited availability of clean water,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. “We should not forget,