Solar project to power water wells at Mar Elias camp in Lebanon
Solar power will run water wells at the Mar Elias camp, the first such project at a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, officials said.
A solar energy project to power water wells at the Mar Elias refugee camp in Beirut was inaugurated on Wednesday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Ahmad Abu Holi, head of the Refugee Affairs Department and a member of Fatah's Central Committee and the PLO Executive Committee, said the project is the first solar project to run water wells in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon.
The project was carried out with the Palestinian Embassy in Lebanon, led by Ambassador Mohammad Al-Asaad, and in partnership with businessman Munib al-Masri.
Abu Holi said the system will allow water to be pumped every day, reduce operating and financial burdens, and rely on clean energy.
He said the project will serve residents of Mar Elias camp and help ease its water crisis, which he described as a source of hardship for refugees.
Abu Holi said similar projects will be carried out at the Jalil and Beddawi refugee camps, with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) overseeing their management and implementation.
Al-Asaad said the embassy will keep coordinating with Lebanese official bodies and the Refugee Affairs Department to meet the needs of the camps.
Al-Masri said the project will have a direct effect on residents' daily lives and that he will continue cooperating on similar projects in camps across Lebanon.
Mar Elias camp is one of the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where UNRWA, the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees, provides services.