Ramallah: Water pumping from the Ein Samia wells near Ramallah has stopped due to settler attacks, threatening to deprive more than 100 citizens of water. The Jerusalem Water Authority announced on Monday that pumping from water wells and stations in the Ein Samia area, east of Kafr Malik, northeast of Ramallah in the West Bank, has completely stopped, as a result of escalating settler attacks on vital facilities and installations there.
According to Union of OIC News Agencies, the utility confirmed in a statement that its crews had lost technical and administrative control over the entire water system at Ein Samia, following a series of attacks that directly targeted electricity grids, pumping equipment, communications systems, and surveillance cameras. This led to a complete shutdown of operations and the disruption of pumping to dozens of Palestinian villages and towns in the northern and eastern Ramallah and al-Bireh governorate.
She noted that the region continues to experience disruptions to internet services and communications lines, making it difficult to access technical support or restore stations and prevent the necessary protection for field crews.
Ain Samia is one of the most important groundwater sources in the northeastern Ramallah area, containing five working water wells, with depths ranging between 5 and 100 meters. The total production capacity of the Ein Samia wells is estimated at approximately 12,000 cubic meters per day, representing 17% of the daily quantities supplied by the Jerusalem Water Authority.
Ain Samia wells directly supply 19 residential communities, namely: Deir Dibwan, Barqa, Beitin, Ain Yabroud, Kafr Malik, Taybeh, Rammun, Deir Jarir, Silwad, Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya, Abu Falah, Al-Mughayyir, Turmus Ayya, Sinjil, Jaljalia, Abwein, Aroura, and Al-Nubani Farms. Ain Samia also supplies 14 communities jointly through the Ramallah station: Dura al-Qar, Jalazoun Camp, Jifna, Ein Siniya, Birzeit, Birzeit University, Abu Qash, Atara, Deir Sudan, Ajul, Jibia, Barham, Kobar, Abu Shkheidam, and Mazraa al-Qibliya.
The total number of citizens who benefit from Ain Samia well water, whether fully or partially, is approximately 110,000.