Clean Energy Solution from TİKA to the Water Problem of Turkmen Villages in Lebanon

The water pump stations in the villages of Aydamun and Kouachra in Lebanon were electrified within the framework of projects run by Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA). 

Türkiye’s Ambassador to Beirut, Ali Barış Ulusoy, TİKA’s Beirut Coordinator, Orhan Aydın, Mayor of Kouachra, Muhammed Ebu Kerim, President of the Lebanese – Turkish Culture Association and  Lebanon representative of DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye), Kemal Maksoud as well as the religious officials from different religions and sects, the members of the municipal council and the notables of the villages attended the opening ceremonies organized in two villages.

Ambassador Ulusoy gave a speech at the ceremony and said, “We have participated in the opening ceremonies of some TİKA projects aimed at easing the electricity problem, which has reached a serious level in Lebanon as a whole. TİKA started to support some solar energy projects considering the limited access to electricity in Lebanon and rising energy prices. We have kicked off 2 projects to electrify the water pump stations in Kouachra and Aydamun, which are both Turkmen villages.

In Lebanon, people have been dependent on generators because of the electricity cut of 22-23 hours a day, which has been a chronic problem for years. Due to the electricity shortage, the generators feeding the water pump stations did not run properly, depriving some districts of tap water for weeks. The people living in the afore-mentioned villages even had to buy waters in big tanks, which sometimes cost as much as the salary of a public officer.

The water pump stations in Aydamun and Kouachra, where the majority of habitants are Turkmen, have finally been electrified through the solar energy systems established by TİKA. Now, the water pumps work regularly, and the villagers have been supplied with tap water again.