Nurdin
and Seandya are very generous. They agreed to allow the French
Red Cross to use their well to supply water to families living
in a camp 50 metres from their home in the village of Meunasah
Raya.
“We are aware of the plight of displaced people –
we are also victims of the tsunami,” says Nurdin. “We
had to leave our home to come and live here, and part of our
family lives in that camp.”
His wife adds, “People often come from the camp asking
if they can draw water to wash themselves or to do their laundry.
I tell them to go ahead; it doesn't bother us.”
The French Red Cross has run a PVC pipe down into their well,
and has installed an electric pump to draw up the water, and
pump it into two new tanks. “In this case, the work was
quite simple,” explains Christian Tiberghien, a water
and sanitation delegate with the French Red Cross, “but
the solutions that we provide vary from one context to another.”
Since the beginning of 2005, the French Red Cross has been distributing
clean water by tankers to people displaced by the tsunami in
and around the town of Sigli, a couple of hours drive south-east
of Banda Aceh. Over the past months this distribution has been
slowly phased out in favour of more sustainable ‘on site’
solutions like Nurdin and Seandya’s well, as well as boreholes
or connections to the water mains of the national water utility,
PDAM.
The phase-out is not being implemented blindly. The French Red
Cross has carried out a survey of 40 temporary camps (barracks)
over several months and has decided to continue operations at
12 sites, where water is still a problem.
“These solutions must be sustainable and cover the needs
of those still receiving water by tanker,” says Christian.
Community approach
The French Red Cross has ensured that the community has been
fully involved in finding solutions and in implementing them,
making sure that they feel responsible for the new facilities.
Rita and Yus, Red Cross community development delegates explain
the consultation process. “In September we announced that
water distribution by tanker was to be phased out, which prompted
a discussion about alternative solutions,” says Rita.
“We agreed on a borehole connected to two water tanks.”
The borehole was drilled by the Norwegian Red Cross and community
members carried out the plumbing work themselves. The community
then designated a team responsible for the connection and installation
of the tanks. “Ismael, who is a construction worker, was
appointed by his neighbours to supervise the work,” says
Yus. “He agreed. A maintenance committee headed by the
village leader was also formed to monitor the facilities we
leave.”
The Red Cross acts as a facilitator, ensuring that the beneficiaries
make the project their own and increasing the chances of the
facilities being properly maintained over the long-term.
In cooperation with the Norwegian Red Cross, the French Red
Cross has drilled boreholes at eight sites, five of which have
produced water clean enough for people to drink. “We also
carried out rehabilitation work on traditional shallow wells”
says Christian. “Work on six of eight of those wells has
now been completed.”
In most cases, these facilities will provide a long-term solution,
because the camps that they supply are often in the middle of
villages destroyed by the tsunami that are now undergoing reconstruction.
Overall, the simple community-based programme is benefiting
around 15,000 people, including both displaced people and people
who have returned to their villages.
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Since
the beginning of 2005, the French Red Cross has been distributing
clean water by tankers to people displaced by the tsunami
in and around the town of Sigli, a couple of hours drive
south-east of Banda Aceh. (p14903)
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The
borehole was drilled by the Norwegian Red Cross and community
members carried out the plumbing work themselves. The
community then designated a team responsible for the connection
and installation of the tanks. (p14904)
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These
facilities will provide a long-term solution, because
the camps that they supply are often in the middle of
villages destroyed by the tsunami that are now undergoing
reconstruction. (14905)
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