Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 June 2016
194. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made by him and his European Union counterparts to ensure that Palestinian people have access to an adequate and safe water supply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17389/16]
View answerA combination of increased aridity and growing populations mean that water supply is becoming an increasingly critical issue across the wider Middle East, and large populations are now becoming water vulnerable. However, there are specific additional stresses on Palestinian people resulting from the Israeli control of their land and resources, and the discrimination in favour of Israeli settlers in relation to water as well as other issues. Ireland provides annual funding to a local NGO that provides clean-water services to off-grid communities in the West Bank using environmentally and socially sustainable methods. To date, the NGO’s rural electrification and clean-water services have reached nearly 2000 people in 20 communities in Area C of the West Bank. In addition to Ireland’s annual core support to UNOCHA, we also contribute to the UNOCHA Humanitarian Pooled Fund (HPF) for the Occupied Palestinian Territory, an emergency fund with the aim of supporting the delivery of strategic humanitarian assistance. Examples of recent projects funded by the HPF are improvement of access and quality in relation to municipal water services in Gaza; improvement to basic sanitation and hygiene services in Gaza; improvement of access to safe, sufficient and affordable water and sanitation facilities for the vulnerable population in Area C.
Ireland also provides annual support to UNRWA, which provides assistance and protection for Palestinian refugees, including in the West Bank and Gaza. UNRWA’s programmes include work to ensure access to safe drinking water through comprehensive water-supply networks. It also provides sewerage systems and storm-water drainage to combat the spread of sanitation and hygiene related diseases. In addition to providing funding to UNRWA’s General Fund, Ireland also supports UNRWA’s Gaza Emergency Appeal.
The EU has provided humanitarian funding of EUR 25 million to the Occupied Palestinian Territory in 2015 through ECHO. In Gaza, ECHO funds humanitarian projects including those that deal with water and sanitation.
Last week the EU agreed to provide €10 million in funding to UNICEF for stage two of the Gaza small scale desalination plant, following €10 million already provided for stage one. Stage two is to begin construction in the next few weeks, and will produce 12,000 cubic metres of safe drinking water each day.
Other EU partners are also engaged in specific projects, for instance Germany has been engaged on building new sewage treatment works in Gaza.
In addition to these efforts directly related to water issues, Ireland and our EU partners continue to work politically for an end to the occupation and the expansion of settlements which are the root cause of many of these problems.
