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01-07-2018


National Beverage Company sponsors the First Palestine International Water Forum




Ramallah – Al Hayat Economy -The National Beverage Company Coca-Cola/Cappy co-sponsored the events of the First Palestine International Water Forum (PIWF) held in Al-Carmel Hotel, Ramallah, from 25to 28June, under the auspices of President Mahmoud Abbas, and organized under an initiative of the Palestine Water Authority.  
 
Held under the banner "Integrated Water Resources Management: Best Practices and Technology Transfer", the scientific sessions of the PIWF saw the presence and participation of a number of international and Arab representatives as well as 30 national and international companies.  In addition, NBC participated in the Forum as a co-sponsor and partner, along with a number of other institutions, authorities and companies.
 
Eng. Mazen Ghonaim, Head of the Palestine Water Authority, commended the support provided by the private sector to the PIWF.  He also thanked NBC for supporting the Forum emphasizing its highly valued role in supporting the national economy, providing national products and employing the youth.  He stated that over the past three years, many strategic projects in the area of water andwastewater have been launched. More efforts have been exerted by the beginning of this year to promote these projects and more progress has been made.
 
These efforts were culminated in the success of the International Donor Conference held last March, as it secured $565 million (i.e. 80% of the cost of Gaza Desalination Project), he added.
 
"We, in the Water Authority, and our partners feel particularly proud of what has been accomplished. However, there is still a long way to go and a lot of work to do despite all the challenges that will not hinder our sincere will and determination to improve the water reality", Ghonaim said. He added that the PIWF provided an opportunity for making more progress and applying the latest technology developments, to help implement the basics and principals of this approach, being the basis for achieving the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals “Clean Water and Sanitation”.
 
He added “We are sure that PIWF will be the starting point for several international forums and conferences and will be documented in the agenda of the international water related forums and events”.
 
On his part, Mr. Imad al-Hindi, the General Manager of NBC, stressed the importance of holding a forum to address the issues of water treatment and sanitation in Palestine, with a view to improve the quality of the provided water service. He praised the efforts of the Water Authority, especially those exerted by its Head, the Minister Eng. Mazen Ghonaim, for the success of the PIWF and its scientific sessions, which tackled the water sector reality and examined the potential solutions.
 
Mr. al-Hindi added that NBC is doing its best to preserve the water sources and treat the industrial water through a number of projects, the most important of which is installing two plants for treating the wastewater produced by its factories in Tulkarm and Jericho to be usable for irrigation.  Besides, NBC is currently implementing plans for establishing a water desalination plant near Maghazi camp in Gaza strip. This in turn will contribute to securing a sustainable water source for the camp residents, amounting to more than 24.000 refugees.

 

Al-Hindi further underscored NBC keen on contributing to the implementation of PIWF, as a part of its strategic care to participate in improving and developing the water and infrastructure sector, by making NBC factories coping up with the latest technical developments in this area.