Brigade Libre Hidalgo XXXVIII inaugurates a Quick Impact Project in Houla

• It is about the construction of a retaining wall that supports a tank of irrigation water

Spanish Brigade in Lebanon inaugurated a Quick Impact Project in the town of Houla. The work was financed by Spain and consisted on the construction of a stone wall to provide consistency to a water tank with a capacity of more than 1000 m3. The event was attended by the head of the civil-military relations cell, Commander Francisco Gutiérrez Candelario and Houla’s Mayor, Shakib Kteish.

This project was born in February 2022 when Houla’s Mayor, a city located in the area of operations of the Eastern Sector led by Spain, asked UNIFIL for support to carry it out. The Spanish contingent responded to the call and 8 months later it has become reality with a retaining stone wall almost 5 meters high and 20 meters long. For the Houla community, the completion of this project is of great value because it meets a basic need, such as collecting water in the rainy season. Thus, the lack of water during the dry season, so necessary for agriculture, a fundamental activity of the economy of the area, is addressed.

During the opening ceremony, the mayor of the Lebanese town expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Spanish contingent for their contribution to Lebanese society in various fields such as health, education and public services. Commander Candelario thanked the Lebanese people for their hospitality and recognition of the daily work of the Spanish military and highlighted the importance for Spain of “maintaining the bonds of friendship and being able to collaborate in the well-being of the Lebanese”. With this project, Spain contributes not only to providing water in the driest months, but also to improving the productive capacity of the crop in the area.