A ceremony was held today in Blida to inaugurate a 400 cubic water tank which aims to improve the supply and management of water of the village.

UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major- General Paolo Serra and the Mayor of Blida Mr. Mohamed Ali Daher officiated the event. Present at the ceremony were, among others, local authorities, LAF representatives, UNIFIL Sector Commanders - Brigadier General Antonio Bettelli representing Sector West and Brigadier General Teodoro Banos representing Sector East.

In his address Major-General Serra said: "This project is the result of the close cooperation between the local authorities and UNIFIL. I am confident that it will make a difference in your everyday life. We all know that water is a precious resource. It is essential for people's livelihood."

In his address, the Force Commander reiterated his satisfaction for the unprecedented calm the south of Lebanon has witnessed in recent years "I pledge that UNIFIL Peacekeepers will continue to work shoulder – to- shoulder with the LAF and the Lebanese people to help maintain this stability and so that you can enjoy a secure environment," he said.

The Blida water tank storage project was the jointl achievement of a fruitful collaboration between the LAF, the Municipality of Blida and UNIFIL regarding the issue of water shortages in Blida. The initiative to identify and implement an alternative solution to ease the issue of the water shortage was led by UNIFIL Civil Affairs in close cooperation with other Mission components and representatives of the local community.

The project cost approximately $90,000 and was funded jointly by UNIFIL, the Spanish and Italian contingents.