Doha, August 12 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) announced that it has dug boreholes and constructed water tanks in the Yemeni towns of Lawdar and Mudiyah, in the Abyan Governorate.

In a press release issued Tuesday, QRCS said that the project aimed to secure clean water for 23,200 people and costed a total of USD 413,115, funded by benevolent Qatari donors.

It added that the project involved digging four boreholes, installing solar-powered pumping systems, constructing four 27-m3 concrete water storage tanks, building control rooms to manage and operate borehole components, and extending 3,926-meter water supply networks connecting boreholes and tanks.

During the technical procedures to hand the project's outcomes over to the local communities and competent authorities, Director-General of Lawdar Gamal Alala said: "With generous support from QRCS, we are inaugurating Lawdar water well, Shabiba borehole, and two water tanks. These projects ensure the sustainable provision of water for 10 remote villages that have been underserved for decades, and the population had to suffer a lot to get water."

For his part, Director-General of Mudiyah Ali Harbaji considered the project a significant development for the two beneficiary localities and commented: "For many years, these areas have been suffering from water scarcity and inadequate services infrastructure."

"We appreciate the efforts of QRCS to support humanitarian and development projects and help rural communities live with dignity. This achievement has put an end to many years of suffering and addressed the needs of more than 3,000 people in five villages," Harbaji added.

In a statement, head of QRCS's office in Yemen Eng. Ahmed Hassan Al Sharaji said that since 2020, 352 surface water wells and 21 boreholes were dug, rehabilitated, and operated, at a total cost of over USD 3.5 million (some QR 13 million), as part of 10 projects implemented over the past five years.

Eng. Al Sharaji added: "In coordination with the competent authorities, we managed to provide clean water for 370,581 people, mostly in remote, underserved, and desperate villages across 59 districts in 11 governorates, as follows: Taiz, Dhale, Al Hudaydah, Raymah, Sa'dah, Al Jawf, Ibb, Al Mahwit, Hajjah, Lahij, and Abyan."

Moreover, he highlighted the importance QRCS attaches to projects in the water sector, saying: "QRCS's interest in and response to such projects align with its humanitarian priorities, notably easing the water shortage, providing potable water, making it easier to get water, protecting children against falling into open water wells, and preventing the spread of waterborne diseases such as schistosomiasis and cholera."

QRCS intends to launch a project to dig 10 new boreholes equipped with solar-powered tanks and pumps at a total cost exceeding QR 4 million, with the goal of meeting the water needs of 35,000 people in Yemen.

According to UN reports, Yemen is one of the world’s poorest countries in terms of water resources, with more than half of the 30-million population lacking access to safe water, especially in rural areas and remote communities. (QNA)