Deir El Ahmar, an underserved village the Beqaa, is home to 9,000 Lebanese residents and more than 4,000 refugees. The sustained presence of refugees and increased water demands against an already weak infrastructure have left residents struggling with water shortages.

Moreover, due to the economic crisis and prolonged state power cuts, the Deir El Ahmar Municipality and the Beqaa Water Establishment (BWE) were unable to afford operating the back-up generator that powers the village’s water pump, fueling communal tensions over access to water. In response, the USAID-funded Community Support Program (CSP) upgraded the water provision system by installing a solar farm, constructing a chlorination and an electrical operation room, and rehabilitating mechanical equipment to ensure sustainable water pumping and effective water treatment.

On April 16, 2024, CSP completed construction in Deir El Ahmar. This solar solution is enabling reliable and sustainable access to potable water for 13,000 residents, while reducing municipal fuel costs by around $15,000 annually.

“The new pumping system is a vital intervention that not only ended years of water scarcity and deprivation, but significantly reduced operational expenses that the municipality can now allocate to providing other essential services”, said Latif Kozah, Mayor of Deir El Ahmar.