Soultan Yaaqoub town, in the Beqaa Valley, is home to around 4,500 Lebanese residents and 1,200 refugees. The sustained presence of refugees coupled with the ongoing socio-economic crisis has placed significant strain on public services, including the provision of water. Despite the presence of a well, the pumping station is not fully functional due to an outdated generator and soaring costs of fuel which has become unaffordable to the municipality. This situation is causing frequent water shortages and fueling community tensions over limited access to water. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) recently upgraded the town’s water pumping system by installing solar panels to power the pump, replacing the system’s hydraulic and chlorination accessories, and installing a standby generator. By January 20, 2023, CSP had successfully tested the system, while CSP’s contractor is now finalizing minor works before handing it over to the Beqaa Water Establishment (BWE) and the municipality. This intervention will enable the municipality to supply water in a consistent and sustainable way to all 5,700 residents in Soultan Yaaqoub.

In parallel, to help sustain the assistance, CSP also trained six municipal workers and BWE employees on the operation and maintenance of the generator, the chlorination system, the solar panels, and fire extinguishers. On January 18, 2023, CSP delivered its last training on environmental compliance related to the provided equipment. “This training will become part of our operation and maintenance practices to ensure that we remain environmentally compliant,” stated Hamed Abdouni, Soultan Yaaqoub municipal member.

“We have been suffering for years from insufficient access to water, and households were paying large expenses to truck water. This assistance from USAID/CSP has improved our access to water as well as the overall living conditions in the village,” said Ahmad Jaroush, Mayor of Soultan Yaaqoub.