[6.3] Water usage and care
[6.3.3] Free Drinking Water provided
Free Drinking Water initiatives at PTUK ensure that students, staff, and visitors have access to safe, potable water. This supports SDG6 by promoting water security and public health. Activities include installing water dispensers, monitoring water quality, and maintaining treatment systems. Students and technical staff participate in water quality testing and system maintenance. Outputs include safe drinking water access, quality reports, and educational sessions on hygiene. Additional activities include community workshops, campus campaigns on proper water use, and integration of water filtration technologies.
|
01. Water Quality Testing Program
|
|
|
PTUK implements an integrated and vigorous measuring system for pollution monitoring, whether it is solid waste or water pollution, ensuring excellent water quality, documenting and reporting water reuse across all campus facilities. This ensures that pollution is monitored and measured at all stages, and highlights the university’s long-term sustainability planning. The measurement process is done by university labs and monitored by approved local institutions to ensure consistency and rigorous measurement methods. PTUK conducts regular monitoring cycles in which reused water volumes are monitored and tested for pollution and quality. All results are documented and put in appropriate reports for follow-up. PTUK adopts rigorous policies towards quality and pollution on campus through regular testing of water outlets and drainage systems by students and faculty. Pollution reports, recommendations for mitigation, and student training support and help prevent contaminants from entering water systems. Regular laboratory testing of drinking water, documented quality reports, and regular maintenance schedules contribute to ensuring safety and compliance. |
|
|
02. Community Water Awareness Campaign
|
|
|
The university carries out awareness campaigns and holds advisory meetings with the local agricultural industry. Leaflets are provided and contact information is made available for consultancy. Recently, professors at PTUK carried out an experimental water cleaning method using algae. The results were encouraging and the reports were sent to the Ministry of Water. Local farmers were invited and shown the experimental setup and the results, giving them first-hand experience. The university also carries out awareness campaigns for students and the local community, stressing the importance of water conservation and how to reduce water pollution. Workshops and materials educate students and the local community about safe water consumption, which leads to trained participants and improved hygiene practices. This supports promoting water security. |
|
|
03. Water Filtration Pilot Project
|
|
|
Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie and the Palestinian Water Authority signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU). The agreement aims to foster cooperation and contribute to the development of competencies, skills, and knowledge in the field of water sciences, as well as to collaborate on providing services, offering consultations, and organizing workshops and scientific events related to the water sector in Palestine. PTUK began the implementation of advanced filtration systems in campus buildings, which leads to cleaner water, research data, and student participation. This contributes to enhancing drinking water quality. |
|
|
04. Develops an Easy Method for Estimating Fluoride in Drinking Water
|
|
| Dr. Samir Amira-Bisharat, Head of the Chemistry Department at Palestine Technical University – Kadoorie, and Dr. Zaher Barghouthi, a researcher at the Palestinian National Agricultural Research Center and a lecturer at the Arab American University, have developed an inexpensive field method for estimating fluoride levels in drinking water using a handmade reagent test paper. This significant research was published in the Arabian Journal of Chemistry—the most prominent chemistry journal in the Arab world (Impact Factor: 2.27)—under the title: “Field method for estimation of fluoride in drinking groundwater by photometric measurement of spot on aluminum quinalizarin reagent paper.” The study underscores the critical importance of drinking water quality; notably, the World Health Organization’s guidelines on drinking water quality have, in recent years, recommended the necessity of determining fluoride concentrations in such water. | |