About Water Cistern Renovation Project

Understanding that water is the single most important resource on earth, HCEF has undertaken the mission of rehabilitating ancient water cisterns throughout the Bethlehem area. The aim of The Water Cistern Renovation Project is to provide the Christians of Bethlehem an alternative and consistently available source of water that saves them money and preserves their human dignity. HCEF believes that cistern renovation is the most viable solution to the water crisis since it takes advantage of existing and available reservoirs to collect rainwater, a free and renewable source. HCEF fulfills the mission of the Water Cistern Renovation Project by:

Maintaining and improving the structural integrity of cisterns.
Providing maintenance to their water pump and pressure systems.
And by rehabilitating the plumbing systems in corresponding homes.

This ensures a consistent supply of clean water for the people of Bethlehem despite resource restrictions imposed by occupation.

Click here to download the WCRP Brochure

Access to Water: A Basic Human Right

The problems that arise from restricted access to water are numerous and varied. Lack of potable drinking water can lead to dehydration and illness; a shortage of adequate bathing water can lead to improper hygiene and disease; and entire livelihoods could be lost without the ability to irrigate farmland. Unfortunately, in Palestine lack of water is not due to scarcity, but to uneven water distribution. The reality of occupation restricts thousands of people from accessing water. Therefore, the water crisis in Palestine persists year-round, no matter the season, leaving Palestinians powerless to provide water security for themselves or their families.

The current quantity of water allocated to Palestinians does not take into consideration population growth nor the increasing demand for agricultural development. Faulty water systems make access to piped water unreliable, and in some cases, nonexistent. It is near impossible for the average Palestinian to obtain permits to legally install alternative water collection systems. For those who are able to install these systems, water can cost up to five times more than piped water.
* According to the World Health Organization

Testimonials

Azizieh Family6 Family members

We are living in the old city of Bethlehem and our access to water is very limited. We’ve come to the water company with our problem many times, but they have never addressed our needs. HCEF and PMP’s assistance has come to us like a gift from God. Both institutions worked very hard to renovate our well, also adding an excellent pumping system. Our water crisis has been solved. God bless you.

Sleibi Family7 Family members

We are three families living in on building and we constantly suffer from a lack of water. We’ve made several complaints to the water company to pump water at least twice a month, but nothing has changed. We have big water well, though it’s full of cracks. We’ve tried making minor repairs in the past, but none of our work has kept the well from leaking. I applied to HCEF and PMP and they quickly answered our call for help. Now our well is renovated and we have water any time we need. HCEF & PMP’s help has been a blessing from God.

Hanania Family5 Family members

We always owned a well, but unfortunately we’ve never used it since it leaks water through all its cracks. We turned to HCEF& PMP for help, and they came through for us. They fixed our well and restored our sense of dignity. We have daily access to water now and we can’t express our appreciation and gratitude to both institutions for solving this problem. God bless you for your support!

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