Solar water station brings water to under-served communities

Lebanon | 2023 | CBPF

Lebanon, Baalbek. Lebanon’s multiple crises have degraded the water system significantly. The water infrastructure is in a state of imminent collapse due to frequent power outages, a shortage of diesel fuel, and extremely high inflation rates.

These have left the public water providers in Lebanon unable to pump enough water to serve their communities.

In Zarifa’s neighbourhood, access to safe water was intermittent. Sometimes, they didn’t have water for up to 10 days, meaning they had to buy fuel themselves to pump it or hire a truck to bring it to different neighbourhoods. In reality, it meant that richer neighborhoods got water, while others were deprived.

Usually, the woman of the house is in charge of rationing and managing the water – leaving many women bearing the brunt of family stress. “We had to make difficult choices,” explains Zarifa. “Cleaning the house one day meant sacrificing washing clothes, or even showering.”

With funding from the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund, Oxfam built a solar-powered pumping station and a chlorination station. The solar power provides regular electricity to the borehole, allowing water to be pumped regularly.

The solar water station brought some relief. “Now, water is available around the clock, pumped every other day, and meets our needs,” says Zarifa.

Adapted from original stories from Oxfam and the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund

For more information: visit the Lebanon Humanitarian Fund website to find real-time contribution and allocation data on the POOLED FUNDS DATA HUB.