Darfur – Elements of Survival |
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February 16th, 2007 - 03:04PM |
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Photo: Emily Holland/The IRC Hamidiya Camp, Zalingei, Darfur Feb. 13, 2007 Generators hum. Green pipes pulse. Colorful plastic buckets slosh, are balanced on heads and carried away to cooking fires, laundry stations and thirsty animals. Water: source of life and health. It’s something many of us take for granted, but for people displaced by the Darfur conflict and living in sprawling camps, a major focus of life. Just how does the IRC provide water and promote hygiene and sanitation to 36,280 displaced people in Zalingei, West Darfur and an additional 15,000 living in the nearby community? I caught up with Ali, the man who manages its water system, to find out… How important is water to the residents of Hamidiya Camp? It's very important. It's the first line of aid to the people. We provide water to 36,280 displaced men, women and children every day. How do you do that? We have generators that draw water from the ground. We chlorinate that water then distribute it to elevated water tanks. From there, the water flows through an elaborate pipe system to taps and hand pumps where people can access it. What's the difference between a tap and a hand pump? Water taps provide water for drinking, cooking and cleaning. Hand pumps supply water for animals, brick-making and washing clothes. How many people does a typical tap help? Well, that tap supplies 200 families with water. Onto sanitation and hygiene…how do you promote them in the camps? We've built and maintain latrines, showers and laundry centers. In two years, our latrines have not required repair! We also reach out to the community and train them to chlorinate their water, use latrines and make sure that they understand the importance of doing both. We distribute soap, jerrycans and buckets to camp residents. Finally, we provide 'vector control': spraying areas to prevent insects and collecting and managing solid waste. You also provide services to the local town, right? Yes, we provide chlorinated water to Zalingei town and have built latrines in secondary schools, youth centers and meeting spaces there. Right now, we're conducting house-to-house surveys by neighborhood: collecting information about water and latrine use, showing people how to wash their hands properly and making sure that children do, too. We're also organizing a clean-up campaign in the town...all designed to promote healthy living. Back to the camps…I understand you're empowering camp residents to better understand and protect their water system? Yes, we train two groups of people: the water committee and water chlorinators. The water committee is comprised of sheikhs and camp residents who work with IRC staff to protect the water system and identify and solve any problems that arise. Water chlorinators are camp residents – many of them women – whom we train to chlorinate water and teach people to keep their buckets and other water containers clean. How well is the water committee working? Last June, I was conducting a training for water committee members when an incident forced NGOs to stop working in the camps. Two days later, the committee members traveled a great distance to our IRC office to resume their training! They said our services were too important. They wanted to learn. We completed the training and these days, when IRC staff cannot enter the camps because of security issues, the committee can carry on with the work. What are some of the biggest challenges you face? With new arrivals coming everyday, the camp is always growing. We must provide water and latrines to more people at longer distances every day. Proper drainage is another issue: water that sits in the road attracts mosquitoes and flies. We construct channels to draw it away. Finally, there's rainy season: it's difficult to protect water during this time. Some wells flood over. Wind blows dust and solid waste into open wells. We have to work hard to cover them because dirty water can cause cholera, typhoid and other diseases. So what if the IRC wasn't here? The IRC provides a critical service to displaced people in the camps, but we’re also working to empower them to manage on their own one day. Working together, we believe we can achieve this. Posted By: Emily Holland | Africa, Health, Sudan & the Darfur Crisis, _Emily Holland in Darfur Permalink |
