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Written question asked by Baroness Tonge (Non-affiliated) on Tuesday, 29 January 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 12 February 2019. It was answered by Lord Bates (Conservative) on Monday, 11 February 2019 on behalf of the Department for International Development.

Palestinians: Water

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide financial support to the water and sewage projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that were previously funded by the government of the United States; and if so, what will be the nature of any such support.

Answer

DFID is concerned about the withdrawal of US aid funding from the water sector in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The shortage of clean water and adequate waste water treatment facilities across the OPTs drives down living standards, poses health and environmental risks, and is a significant barrier to economic growth. However, the UK is not in a position to redirect funding to projects formerly funded by the US.

The UK has already committed to supporting the Palestinian water sector, through DFID’s Supporting Economic Empowerment and Development in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (SEED OPTs) programme. UK aid will help reform the water sector and co-finance critical water infrastructure to increase the supply and access of clean water across the OPTs. This includes upgrading Gaza’s water carrier network to support the planned Gaza Central Desalination Plant which, once operational, will produce 55 billion litres of safe drinking water annually, benefiting all Gazans.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13265
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Development aid Water USA Palestine Foreign aid
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk