The United Nations‘ Emergency Response Plan (ERP), aiming to help the most vulnerable populations in Lebanon, has provided 3.1 million liters of fuel to 195 health facilities and 320 water pumping stations.
The announcement was made by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, Dr. Najat Rochdi.
“This exceptional fuel distribution to healthcare and water facilities across Lebanon has been ensuring the provision of critical health, water, and sanitation services to the most vulnerable populations affected by the ongoing energy crisis and preserve life-saving humanitarian activities,” she said.
The ERP launched by the U.N consists of a $383 Million budget plan covering 119 projects over one year to provide essential support to some 1.1 million vulnerable people in the country.
The ERP came in response to the social catastrophe further intensifying in Lebanon.
As declared by the UN, starvation has become “a growing reality” for thousands of families in Lebanon, noting that “acute malnutrition rates have increased substantially among children under five.”
In order to bring some relief to the people’s “living nightmare”, as Dr. Rochdi called it last month, the projects of the ERP have started, aiming to cover different sectors in Lebanon like education, food, security, health, as well as a fuel supply chain to Lebanon’s health, water, and sanitation establishments.
“More than 300 water pumping stations have been provided with fuel, lessening most vulnerable families’ dependence towards more expensive alternatives such as bottled or trucked water tankers,” Dr. Rochdi explained.
She further assured that “the emergency fuel supply has been guaranteeing uninterrupted health activities to those most in need.”
24 hospitals, 138 Primary Health Care Centres, and 12 cold chain sites to store covid-19 vaccines and medicines were able to keep working, maintaining the essential health services for the most vulnerable.
“The unsolved energy crisis in Lebanon, unfortunately, continues to jeopardize basic health and water supply across Lebanon, threatening the lives of thousands of families,” Dr. Rochdi said, before calling on the Lebanese government to take its responsibility in maintaining essential needs available.
