Majdel Aanjar, Beqaa, is home to around 25,500 Lebanese residents and 32,000 refugees. The significant presence of refugees has long strained the municipality’s ability to meet the town’s basic water needs, which was further exacerbated by the ongoing electricity and fuel crises. The situation has forced residents to purchase additional trucked-in water which has contributed to growing intercommunal tensions. In response, USAID’s Community Support Program (CSP) installed solar photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, rehabilitated the chlorination room, and installed a flowmeter to upgrade the town’s water pumping system to benefit 19,000 of its residents. To ensure sustainability of this USAID assistance, CSP trained the municipal workers and employees from the Beqaa Water Establishment (BWE) on the safe operation, maintenance, and cleaning of the equipment. CSP is equally building their capacities on ensuring environmental compliance when handling waste produced by the new equipment. On October 31 and November 2, 2022, CSP trained seven participants from Majdel Aanjar municipality, Electricity of Lebanon (EDL), and BWE on the operation and maintenance of the PV solar panels, the chlorination system, and other water pump accessories. Next, CSP will work with the municipality to develop a grievance mechanism to handle community complaints related to the operation of electricity generation, pumping, and chlorination.

“We had misconceptions about the operation of solar panels and chlorination. We learned new methods to improve the efficiency of the solar panels and reduce their maintenance’s cost,” stated Hassan Yassin, who is responsible for the EDL station in West and Central Beqaa.