Palestinian territories

Solar Energy for Wastewater Management and Irrigation in Jenin district

Project completed

Organisation

Support area

Funding

138230.40 €

Project duration

Jun, 2022 – Mar, 2023

Water shortage and the related lack of irrigation has been a long problem for many smallholder farmers in the Palestinian Territories. To combat the problem, the American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) with Jenin Municipality implemented in 2015 a project to reuse treated wastewater for irrigation produced from Jenin wastewater treatment plant. However, the high cost of wastewater treatment has forced the municipality to pause the treatment. The consequent deterioration of water quality as well as the farmers’ lack of experience in maintaining the irrigation system led to the shrinking of the irrigated area. This IKI Small Grants project installed a solar energy facility to the waste-water treatment plant. With its solar panels, it provides smallholder farmers with clean energy and access to sustainable irrigation techniques. Accompanying trainings for the farmers to repair and maintain the system were an integral part of the project design.

Key achievements

Project finalised
PV system with a capacity of 65.4 kilowatts peak is installed and operational; yearly production of over 107,000 kilowatt hours
Filtration system and irrigation pumps maintained and renovated for irrigation of 10 hectares
Fruit tree seedlings (pears, guava, figs) for 1.5 hectares supplied to farmers based on their needs
Training sessions on operation and maintenance of solar plants and on TWW irrigation system conducted

Approach & activities

This IKI Small Grants project improved water security for farmers and supported agricultural production in a water scarce region. The project provided solar panels to the wastewater treatment plant benefitting the Jenin Municipality and the WUA.

It thus helped to decrease greenhouse gas emissions of the consumed conventional electricity by replacing part of it by solar energy. It decreased the financial burden on both Jenin Municipality, the WUA, and farmers. It enhanced their technical and managerial capacities. In addition, it helped to expand fodder crop and recultivating the dried-up area, thus sustaining and expanding the cultivated area.

Moreover, the project trained farmers and WUA on operation and maintenance of treated wastewater irrigation system and the municipality staff on operating and the maintaining the newly built solar panels. It thus created a sustainable mechanism to avoid further loss of irrigated areas.

Capacity development

IKI Small Grants supported the funded organisation in their organisational capacity development, offering advanced trainings in fundraising, project management and good governance. Furthermore, the project was accompanied by the Palestinian GIZ Office for technical and legal-commercial support throughout its implementation phase.