In Palestine, HAMAP-Humanitaire has been called on for more than 10 years by French local authorities to carry out cooperation with the Palestinian authorities to improve people's access to water and sanitation. Our missions have always had to adapt to the particular context of Palestine, to the water management that follows from it and to the effects this has on our operations. Thanks to the continued support and trust of its funders, HAMAP-Humanitaire stands alongside its local partners and the people it serves, and intends to use every means at its disposal to keep its missions going despite this difficult context.
Access to water in Jalboun, a mission held back by the war
Since 2020 the Aude department, the Rhone Mediterranee Corse water agency, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and HAMAP-Humanitaire have been working alongside the municipality of Jalboun, a village of 3,300 people isolated in the north of the West Bank by the separation wall and Israeli military zones. The water situation here is dramatic. Jalboun is one of the last Palestinian villages with no water distribution system. Residents depend on tanker trucks for their supply, a situation made worse by the annexation of the main water sources by Israel. The war has stifled the village further still, with more checkpoints and the bombing of infrastructure.
Hani, a HAMAP-Humanitaire partner working on site, tells us: « […] The conflict has considerably damaged the water supply. Water infrastructure has been damaged on several occasions, causing frequent shortages. […] The water is carried in trucks that do not meet health standards: it is exposed to pollution during transport and even when stored in unsanitary household tanks. Residents suffer from this decline in water quality, which causes many health problems, especially among children, who are particularly vulnerable.”»
A water tower and a network were being built by the Palestinian Authority, which made it possible to envisage connecting 100% of the village. Our work consisted in setting up a public water service and in exchanging skills with local actors, both institutionally and technically. Within this decentralised cooperation we had good hope of helping this community gain a fundamental right, that of access to water.
The war changed everything. Work on the water tower was brutally interrupted and the project was suspended before it could be completed. The contractor in charge of the works was unable to continue and, worse still, the equipment was requisitioned by the Israeli authorities. Despite these obstacles, our determination has not wavered. The funders and HAMAP-Humanitaire intend to stand by their local partners. After discussions among all involved, the plan is to redirect the cooperation towards completing the water tower and laying the first sections of the network to meet the emergency. Building a genuine public water service in Jalboun can only happen once conditions allow.
It is essential that access to vital resources such as water be protected and not hindered by obstacles of any kind. Our commitment must continue, in order to preserve people's dignity and fundamental rights.
Beit Fajjar : decentralised cooperation to counter the economic, social and humanitarian crisis
Since 2018 the commune of Lescar, supported by several water and sanitation boards in its area, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, the Adour Garonne water agency, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and HAMAP-Humanitaire have supported the 14,000 residents of Beit Fajjar, a town in the south of the West Bank, to improve access to drinking water and strengthen local infrastructure. This decentralised cooperation, rooted in a relationship of trust between the local authorities and the funders, has unfolded in three distinct phases. In Palestine, the Municipality of Beit Fajjar, the Palestinian Water Authority and the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem are our main partners in delivering this essential project.
In the first two phases we drew up a master plan for the town and carried out crucial works, such as building a 100 m³ reservoir, extending and renovating the network, and installing booster pumps to ensure an adequate supply. More than 9 kilometres of pipes were laid to connect homes to the water network, and 600 individual telemetric water meters were installed. At the same time we strengthened local skills through exchanges of experience with the elected officials and staff of Beit Fajjar, including visits to France and training in managing and operating the infrastructure.
Building on these years of collaboration, and despite the deteriorating geopolitical context, our work continues with a third phase under way. Renovation and extension works on the water network are ongoing. The water meter replacement programme is also expanding, with the purchase of a stock of more modern meters. The Beit Fajjar water authority will be equipped with a new response vehicle, essential for reacting quickly to water emergencies. This new phase opens a wider horizon: sanitation. With no collective network, the town still relies on ageing, poorly managed septic tanks, which pose serious public health problems. We therefore want to launch a territorial assessment in order to design a suitable collective sanitation system, which will mark a decisive step forward for the town's future.
HAMAP-Humanitaire and Beitunia : 10 years of lasting cooperation
The cooperation with the authorities of Beitunia is the oldest relationship HAMAP-Humanitaire and its funders have built in Palestine. Led by the Collectivite Eau du Bassin Rennais, with the support of the Agence Francaise de Developpement, the Loire-Bretagne water agency and the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, our work aims to meet the drinking water and sanitation needs of 40,000 residents.
Our work first consisted of financial and technical support for the rehabilitation and extension of the water network, particularly towards homes located in Area C, under Israeli administrative and military control. More recently the cooperation has made it possible to replace ageing sections of pipe in the town centre and an undersized main supply line, and to renovate the town's reservoir (500 m³), which had been out of service for several years. Another essential part of our work has been training local actors. Exchange missions have been run between the elected officials and technical staff of Beitunia and those of Eau du Bassin Rennais, encouraging the sharing of practice in water management and governance. Finally, we carried out field studies to better understand the specific water and sanitation needs of the population. These studies allowed us to identify the sanitation problems Beitunia faces, in particular the absence of a collective network. At present wastewater is carried away by truck and left untreated, posing risks of pollution and public health impacts.
As in our other projects in Palestine, the war creates obstacles to people's access to water. Nael, a HAMAP-Humanitaire partner on site, tells us: « […] All water resources are entirely controlled by Israel, which means that any investment in water infrastructure is forbidden. [Since the war began], we have seen a significant drop in the quantities of water coming from Israel, the only supplier, which has forced the water distributor for Beitunia and Ramallah to draw up a schedule to try to share the limited supply fairly among everyone. Unfortunately, this situation has caused tensions within our communities. Many residents of Beitunia have had to resort to fetching water from unsafe sources, such as rainwater and springs located mainly in Area C, controlled by the Israeli government. Getting permission to enter those areas is very difficult. As a result the price of water has risen and many people are now forced to buy bottled water to meet their essential needs.»
Despite the deteriorating geopolitical context, HAMAP-Humanitaire intends to keep this project going in order to preserve its long-standing, privileged relationship with Beitunia. The studies carried out during the last phase of the project have allowed us to design a new collective sanitation project that will improve health conditions for the people of Beitunia over the 2025-2027 period. We are glad to see the renewed support of all the technical and financial partners mobilised during the previous phases, now joined by Rennes Metropole and the Municipality of Ramallah.
A geopolitical context that shapes questions of access to water in Palestine
Access to water in Palestine is a crucial issue, deeply affected by the war. For decades Palestinians have been denied their fundamental right to unhindered access to water, a vital resource. They do not have the freedom to drill where they wish and depend entirely on infrastructure controlled by Israel. Our local partners are therefore unable to increase their own water resources, which limits us to improving distribution and reducing losses. The war has made this worse: unstable security conditions, checkpoints everywhere and the confiscation of equipment slow our work down. We call for the removal of the barriers that hinder humanitarian aid, and for recognition of the Palestinians' right to sovereignty over this essential resource.
Our warmest thanks to all the local authorities and partners committed alongside us.
To continue our work and meet the urgent needs of men, women and children, we need your support.
To help us do more: https://hamap-humanitaire.org/jefaisundon/