Hebron Mayor Khaled Osaily met today in his office with Mr. Richard Pollard, Water and Sanitation specialist at the World Bank for the MENA region, Mr. Pier Francesco Mantovani, Senior Specialist at the WB’s Sustainable Development Department, Mr. Augustin Meria, Water and Sanitation expert and Mr. Ibrahim Dajani, Program Director. The meeting discussed the possibility of building a wastewater treatment plant in Hebron.

At the beginning of the meeting, Osaily spoke about wastewater and sanitation conditions in the city and their impact on the local environment. He called for a solution to problems encountered by the city in this field so that wastewater can be reused and the environment protected. Osaily also touched on the various studies prepared in cooperation with USAID aimed at building a wastewater treatment plant in Hebron, underlining the conclusions thereof and stressing the importance of this gigantic project which requires huge funds.

“Hebron Municipality is quite capable of managing this project and ensuring excellent results should it come through, and I can guarantee that such a project would continue and be sustainable. We have implemented a number of other big projects which are running smoothly and are lauded by foreign and international institutions with whom we cooperate. We call on the World Bank to work jointly with us so we can execute this project and ensure its success”, he said.

Mr. Pollard spoke about the importance of this potential project if built according to scientific standards and norms. The project, he said, shall achieve great results in a short period of time. He promised to start looking for a funding body for this project so it can be executed and yield the expected results.