Amidst a Heatwave.. The Water Authority Announces Suspension of Water Supply to Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate

Follow-up from SadaNews - In light of a severe heatwave hitting the country, peaking today and tomorrow, the Jerusalem Governorate Water Authority announces a "temporary" suspension of water supply to the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, urging citizens to conserve water. This comes amid widespread anger and public discontent over the poor management of water resources in the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate, with calls for fairness in the distribution mechanisms of water supply across regions.

The new announcement from the Water Authority, which has faced criticism from the citizens, states: "The Jerusalem Governorate Water Authority announces the suspension of water supply to the main Ramallah station due to (maintenance works) on one of the lines belonging to the Israeli Mekorot company, which is the source supplying the station. The supply has been temporarily halted due to these works on the line."

The Water Authority stated that "this suspension will temporarily affect the water distribution schedule in the concession area."

They added: "We confirm that we are following up on the issue with the relevant authorities to ensure the resumption of supply as soon as possible, and we urge you to conserve water."

With the current heatwave and the summer season, the voices of citizens' complaints about the water crisis choking the Ramallah and Al-Bireh Governorate have intensified, with numerous comments from citizens via social media expressing their dissatisfaction with the poor distribution of water, weak supply, and repeated outages, demanding practical solutions to ensure equitable distribution and improve infrastructure.

Among the most prominent suggestions raised in citizens' comments, as reported by SadaNews, are: "Building central reservoirs to collect rainwater instead of letting it flood the streets in winter, as well as addressing water loss in the supply network and improving distribution efficiency."

Additionally: "Amending building permit conditions to require the existence of cisterns to collect rainwater in every building, and rehabilitating old networks to fairly distribute water lines among neighborhoods."

For more, read the report: The water crisis in Ramallah triggers a wave of public discontent and calls for radical reform