The town of Talia in the Beqaa and the southern localities of Bqasta and Jinsnaya are together home to around 21,450 residents – 4,500 in Talia, 11,500 in Bqasta, and 5,450 in Jinsnaya – who suffer from insufficient access to water and continuous water shortages that are forcing residents to purchase additional water on a weekly basis, a burden that has become unbearable with the ongoing economic crisis. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) has been constructing three 300m³ elevated water tanks to respond to this pressing need and to mitigate growing intercommunal tensions by providing a more equitable distribution of water.

As of the week of October 24, 2022, CSP’s local contractors were in the process of removing the scaffolding around the constructed tanks, reaching around 95% progress on the overall implementation of works in Talia, 90% in Jinsnaya, and 85% in Bqasta. Next, CSP plans to execute the electrical connections in Bqasta, initiate the painting inside the mechanical room in Jinsnaya, and implement some final works in Talia with the aim to start pumping water from the tanks to households in all three localities by mid-November 2022. These interventions will mitigate tensions by meeting local residents’ basic water needs and reducing the financial burdens of vulnerable families.

“Residents of Talia are very grateful to USAID/CSP for every droplet of clean water that we will be able to access through this activity, especially during these difficult times,” stated Mr. Antoine Abi Haidar, Talia Mayor.