The project to be officially adopted by the UfM, will help meet most of the future medium- to long-term drinking water needs for the 1.6 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip, which is a critical humanitarian issue. It will help stabilize and regenerate the only fresh water source in Gaza, the coastal aquifer that runs mainly beneath the Gaza Strip but also Israel and Egypt. It will also be a step towards effective reduction of pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean, through the construction of a desalination facility, and a modern water distribution system, as an initial component of a broader water and waste water programme including development of a number of waste water treatment facilities. The project will also contribute to the political stability of the region through the removal of the water scarcity issue from the web of multiple and complex issues facing the Gaza Strip.