Fayyad, US consul unveil Samaritan water project
Published today (updated) 08/10/2009 18:42
www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=230820

Nablus - Ma'an - The Palestinian Authority and the US Agency for
International Development (USAID) inaugurated a new project on Mount Jerzim
in Nablus on Thursday, according to a statement from ANERA, an aid
organization.

Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, US Consul General Daniel Rubinstein and USAID
Mission Director Howard Sumka attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along
with Palestinian dignitaries and representatives of the Samaritan community.

The project was implemented under USAID's Emergency Water and Sanitation and
Other Infrastructure Program, the statement said.

USAID reportedly contributed more than 120,000 US dollars for the
replacement of the Mount Jerzim Water Network, which will provide 735
members of the Samaritan community, living in 145 houses on Mount Jerzim,
access to clean and potable water. The project, which was implemented by
ANERA, created 820 person-days of employment for the local workers, the
organization said.

Since October 2008, the water program has been providing emergency relief in
the water and sanitation sectors, as well as in other sectors as needed, to
address the basic infrastructure needs of the Palestinian people, according
to ANERA.

Before its implementation, the Samaritan community relied mainly on a water
network installed in the 1980s. The old network caused pollution and wasted
a considerable amount of water through leakages. Many in the community did
not feel safe even drinking the water.