Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken with other countries and UN agencies, including the World Meteorological Organisation, to help restore water to the rivers and ground water resources in war torn countries in the Middle East.

The UK Government is working closely with partners, including UN agencies, to improve access to and management of water resources in a number of Middle Eastern countries.

Examples include:

- Technical support for national policy and planning on water resources in Syria, the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Lebanon and Jordan.

- Support for water resources management in Yemen, through the World Bank’s Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.

- Working with UNICEF in Jordan to improve access to safe water and sanitation facilities for Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.

- Supporting the Water Authority of Jordan carry out urgently needed improvement of the wastewater system’s operational capacity, by building a new wastewater conveyor (redundancy pipe) benefitting a total of 2.3 million people.

- Support to the construction of the Central Gaza Desalination Plant and upgrading of the water distribution network in Gaza.