Executive Director’s Message

Since the idea of establishing the Coastal Municipalities Water Utility (CMWU) was first conceived in 1995, during a meeting of a group of Palestinian water experts and academics at Birzeit University, the vision was based on building a professional national institution capable of managing and developing water and wastewater services in the Gaza Strip, and unifying efforts, expertise, and resources within an institutional framework that enhances operational efficiency and service sustainability.

The year 2000 marked a pivotal milestone in CMWU’s journey, with the adoption of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the mayors of the Gaza Strip. This enabled CMWU to begin fulfilling its responsibilities, developing its institutional and technical capacities, and implementing projects to develop and diversify water sources, develop and expand water transmission and distribution systems, wastewater systems, desalination plants, pumping stations, and treatment facilities. These efforts were supported by the Palestinian Water Authority and successive CMWU Boards of Directors, and carried out in cooperation with municipalities, partners, and donor institutions. This enabled CMWU to achieve an advanced level of water and wastewater services.

However, the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which began in October 2023, marked a devastating turning point in the history of the sector and CMWU’s journey. It caused widespread destruction of infrastructure and water and wastewater facilities, inflicting severe damage across all components of water and wastewater services, including wells, desalination plants, distribution networks, pumping stations, and wastewater treatment plants. Equipment, machinery, and operational facilities were also damaged, with direct losses estimated at more than USD 800 million by the end of 2025. These impacts were further compounded by increasing difficulties in accessing damaged sites and obtaining maintenance and operational supplies.

The consequences of the war were not limited to infrastructure; they also extended to CMWU and municipal staff, who were directly targeted while performing their duties. The sector lost many colleagues from CMWU and the municipalities while they were carrying out their responsibilities in service of our people across different areas of the Gaza Strip. We remember these colleagues with deep respect and gratitude, in recognition of their sacrifices, which reflect the scale of the professional and humanitarian responsibility borne by water and wastewater sector workers during one of the most difficult periods Gaza has experienced.

Under these exceptional circumstances, our primary objective shifted from developing and expanding water and wastewater services to preventing their complete collapse, preserving their continuity, and providing them at the minimum possible level, despite the extensive destruction of infrastructure, the severe shortage of resources, and the prevention of entry of electromechanical and electrical spare parts, generators, oils, plastic pipes, cement, and other materials necessary to maintain and operate water and wastewater facilities, in addition to the risks faced by work crews while carrying out their duties.

In fulfilment of this responsibility, CMWU teams continued working across the Gaza Strip to operate wells and desalination plants, repair water and wastewater lines, maintain pumping stations, support water transportation and distribution through tanker trucks, and carry out the necessary interventions at displacement shelters, healthcare facilities, and the areas most in need. Work also continued to empty cesspits, clean stormwater drainage lines and inlets, and address blockages and wastewater accumulation, amid acute shortages of fuel, oils, equipment, spare parts, and operational materials.

These efforts required extraordinary work and continuous coordination with municipalities and local and international partners to direct limited resources towards the most urgent priorities and reduce the health and environmental risks threatening residents and displaced people. This period demonstrated the importance of human resources and their role in ensuring that institutions continue to fulfil their responsibilities. CMWU and municipal employees continued performing their duties despite the risks and difficulties, and their commitment and determination helped preserve services at the minimum possible level.

On this occasion, I extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to all CMWU employees, including engineers, administrative staff, technicians, labourers, and operation and maintenance teams, for their efforts and sacrifices in serving our people throughout the Gaza Strip.

National and international partnerships also played a fundamental role in supporting the continuity of water and wastewater services during the war. Accordingly, we extend our thanks to the Palestinian Water Authority and the municipalities, as well as to international and humanitarian institutions and donor agencies, foremost among them UNICEF, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Emirates Red Crescent, represented by the Gallant Knight 3 initiative, UNRWA, Oxfam, the European Union, and various humanitarian organizations, international development institutions, and cooperation agencies, as well as all partners who contributed to supporting repair and maintenance projects, providing equipment and fuel, and rehabilitating damaged facilities.

As humanitarian needs continue and the scale of damage grows, the need to move from emergency response to early recovery and reconstruction becomes increasingly evident. Rebuilding the water and wastewater sector requires substantial investment to rehabilitate wells, networks, desalination plants, pumping stations, and treatment facilities; diversify water sources; reduce water losses; improve operational efficiency; and develop wastewater and stormwater drainage systems, thereby strengthening the resilience and sustainability of the overall system.

The next phase requires the combined efforts of national and international stakeholders, stronger partnerships, and the provision of the resources needed to restore and develop services according to clear priorities based on the actual needs of the population. It also requires investment in human resources, the development of management and operational systems, and improved resource-use efficiency, in order to build a more resilient system capable of addressing future crises.

CMWU will continue working with the Palestinian Water Authority, municipalities, and all its partners to restore what the war has destroyed, develop the water and wastewater system, alleviate the suffering of residents and displaced people, and contribute to building a safer and more sustainable future for the Gaza Strip.

Our responsibility is not limited to preserving the services available today; it also extends to rebuilding a more resilient system that guarantees every person’s right to water and wastewater services, protects public health and the environment, and meets the needs of future generations. This is our commitment to our community, to the workers who sacrificed their lives and dedicated their efforts to keeping services running, and to everyone who contributed to establishing this institution and supporting its journey.

Eng. Monther Issa Shoblaq
 Executive Director