UNIFIL peacekeepers from the Republic of Korea today handed over a public water purification plant, which they built over the past two months, to the local community in Abbasiyah, Tyre district in south-western Lebanon.
The donation ceremony was organized via online video conference to comply with the strict precautionary measures put in place by the Government of Lebanon and UNIFIL in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus.
The water purification plant installed in the Abbasiyah City Hall was constructed in a spacious area where the original facility was expanded with 4,200 litre capacity water tanks. Lab results from the Lebanese University verified the water quality as “suitable.”
The external and internal decorations of the facility, named “Fountain of Peace,” include a traditional Korean architectural style entrance as well as exotic pictures and cards depicting Korean symbols.
In compliance with social distancing protocols, three people including the mayor of Abbasiyah, Ali Ezzeddine, participated in the donation ceremony at the “Fountain of Peace,” and four others, including the commander of the Republic of Korean Battalion (ROKBATT), Colonel Doyul Kim, participated in the ceremony online from their Battalion headquarters located in the same area.
Colonel Kim said that ROKBATT will continue civil-military cooperation projects to address urgent needs of the host population.
Between their core peacekeeping duties, UNIFIL peacekeepers regularly carry out various activities like this in support of and as requested by the host communities, which – together with their operational activities – have helped keep calm in the Mission’s area of operation for almost 14 years.