The Palestinian Authority announced progress in efforts to rescue the “dangerous” water shortage in the Gaza Strip, which has been under Israeli siege for 12 years. Head of the Palestinian Water Authority, Mazen Ghoneim, announced, in a statement on Tuesday, the completion of the construction of a $15 million desalination plant in Gaza, funded by the Kuwait Fund through the Islamic Development Bank. Ghoneim explained that the project was completed after a three-year effort due to “Israeli measures to block the entry of materials for electromechanical equipment.” The operational capacity of the new plant is 10,000 cubic meters per day, according to Ghoneim, who explained that it will serve more than 200,000 citizens. He added that work was underway to connect it to the electricity network to ensure its continuity and operational stability. The work is expected to be completed within three months. The plant is the second of its kind to be opened in Gaza this year as part of projects to supply safe drinking water to the population, develop water services and halt the deterioration of the groundwater reservoir. Years ago, the United Nations warned that Gaza would not be a viable area in 2020 because of the severe shortage of underground water and pollution levels reaching more than 90 percent. Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh described the water situation in the coastal enclave as very critical and hoped the plant would ease the suffering of its people. He made his remarks after signing a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday with the British Department for International Development (DFID) in Palestine to support the establishment of the central desalination plant worth £9 million.