Pakistan: Treating 400,000 liters of drinking water a day

October 27, 2011 - Handicap International is responding to the sanitary emergency in Sindh Province, badly affected by flooding in August and September

Handicap International is producing 400,000 liters of drinking water a day for 100,000 people in Sindh Province, southern Pakistan. This is the second time in two years that the region has suffered major flooding, and required emergency water treatment plants.

Philippe Pascal was tasked with setting up the plants, and knows southern Pakistan well, having been present during the 2010 floods. “It's a very exposed region that doesn't have the resources to respond to this type of disaster,” he says. “We are working with local operators, firemen and local NGOs - themselves supported by international operators - and public services to supply technical equipment to tackle the emergency.”

Building on their field knowledge, Handicap International teams hit the ground running. Arriving in early October, the mission was operational in less than two weeks. “We have recovered some equipment used last year and we are already familiar with the skilled teams, which made setting up our operations much faster,” Philippe adds.

The team SET up five plants, spaced 40 kilometers apart, in order to cover a large area and supply as many people as possible. “Some of the camps for people affected by the flood are closed and the people who took refuge there have returned to the area around their homes,” Philippe says. “We need to reach out to these faraway areas, where small groups of roughly 200 people have settled along the roads, waiting for the water level to drop so they can return to their village or field.” Handicap International relies on local organizations and public services for most water distribution operations.

In addition to water treatment, Handicap International is launching pumping operations to restore access to public buildings. “We will start with the hospitals and schools,” Philippe says. “We are currently at the emergency stage and are focusing on limiting the disaster's impact on the population.”

Hygiene packs are being handed out and awareness-raising operations organized to avoid the emergence and spread of epidemics. A total of 2,500 packs containing blankets, mosquito nets, soap and emergency shelters will be distributed in the coming weeks.