Qatar Charity (QC) has operated a solar-powered water plant and maintained sewage networks in the city of Maarat al-Atareb in northern Syria, to benefit nearly 12,500 people.
This comes as part of Qatar Charity’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and provide drinking water sources for them.
In addition to operating a well, the project, which is the first of its kind in the region, included the rehabilitation of a 2000-meter long water network in the town, the maintenance of the well’s generator, building and equipping a room for it, the maintenance of the plant’s building, the maintenance of horizontal pumps and operating panels, and the expansion of sewer lines. Nearly 3000-meter sewer lines have been carried out, and the water well is expected to operate for 300 days for free throughout the year.
Engineer Safwan Al-Najjar, Qatar Charity’s water and sanitation project officer in Syria, said that the project was directly implemented by Qatar Charity with the support of the people in Qatar. He added that the power of one panel is 400 watts, and this system can operate the well for 6 to 7 hours per day, providing 500 cubic meters of water sufficient to meet the needs of the village. It benefits more than 3000 displaced families residing in the town.
The residents of the area expressed their happiness with the project, which greatly contributed to changing their living conditions. Mr. Ziad Abdo Awad, director of the service office in the town, expressed his thanks and appreciation to the philanthropists of Qatar for their continuous support and assistance.
It is noteworthy that Qatar Charity has trained the technical staff from the town’s local council on how to operate the system and carry out periodic maintenance work for the plant and panels to keep the project continue working, and ensure the sustainability of the service.
