Not
far from Pakistan’s ancient silk route, in a wide valley
surrounded by mountains, lies the town of Balakot, which was
completely destroyed when a deadly earthquake jolted the country
on 8 October, 2005.
Walking through the streets of remote villages scattered up
and down the valley, the horror of that tragic day can still
be felt. But there is also a feeling of hope.
The resilience of the survivors, combined with local and international
assistance, has led to many positive developments over the past
18 months, including improved access to and availability of
clean water.
In short supply
The theme of this year’s World Water Day is “coping
with water scarcity” – a problem the people of Balakot
are all too familiar with. Immediately following the earthquake,
nearly all the clean water facilities in the area were destroyed
and people resorted to the river for drinking and bathing.
“It was terrible when we first came into this area…
all you could see were collapsed houses and people crying,”
says Charity Sikamo, the International Federation’s water
and sanitation delegate, who arrived in Pakistan a month after
the quake. “They were not willing to talk to us, they
needed food and shelter and nothing else.”
According to Sikamo, damage to pipes and water sources led to
a severe shortage of drinking water, which was a real problem
for the women, who had to walk for up to three hours, along
tight, twisting mountain tracks to fetch contaminated water
from natural springs.
The PRCS’ hygiene promotion officer, Nadia Sayeed, says
Pakistan’s cultural and religious conservatism also affected
women’s access to safe sanitary conditions.
“Women were the most vulnerable not only because they
had to fetch the water, but also because they had to find ways
to bathe in private and could not go out during the day to use
the toilet,” she says. “This posed big health risks
for women.”
The PRCS and the International Federation have been working
together to address these issues by ensuring that all family
members have access to clean, safe water. To this end, Red Cross
and Red Crescent water and sanitation teams are working with
communities to build water tanks in villages like Hafizabad,
on the outskirts of Balakot.
Muhammad Zaheer, the Red Crescent’s water and sanitation
engineer, explains the construction process: “We provide
technical support and materials to the community, and they contribute
the labor”. The tank being built in Hafizabad will store
over 41,000 litres and provide water for 83 families living
in the village.
Female residents say they benefit the most from this water supply
scheme. “The tank will be a big relief for women of this
area since we have to walk for almost an hour to get water from
the spring… it will be a real blessing for us to have
water at our doorstep,” says Amraizan Bibi, a mother of
four in Hafizabad.
Almost every woman in the village shares the same opinion. Amraizan’s
friend, Gul Sanowar, is also excited by the news. “The
tank will save us almost four to five hours a day,” she
says.
A similar water storage project was completed a few months ago
in the village of Kappi Gali and has already made a visible
difference.
“We saved a lot of time after the completion of this scheme,
and we used it to help our men in reconstructing our houses...
Now most women have the time to benefit from other programs
as well,” says Saeeda Bibi, a PRCS volunteer and a native
of the village. Many women attend stitching classes held at
the International Federation and PRCS psycho-social support
center near the village.
Good hygiene
The water projects would not be complete without the elements
of sanitation and hygiene promotion and education. The Red Cross
and Red Crescent teams provide hygiene kits and teach the communities
about the importance of hand washing and regular bathing.
The hygiene kits have proved to be an excellent starting point
for work within the communities, according to Nadia Sayeed.
“In the early days, people didn’t want to learn
about good hygiene. Understandably, their main priority was
getting food and tents,” she says. “It was only
when we showed them the kits that they realized how important
hygiene was.”
The team provided an explanation of the contents of the kits,
which were put together with the cultural sensibilities in-mind.
For example, many rural residents did not know how to use toothpaste,
sanitary napkins or shampoo.
“Most people used a local plant, called Maswaak, to clean
their teeth… so we had to explain what toothpaste was,”
says Sayeed. “The women didn’t know what sanitary
napkins were so we included cloths in the hygiene kits, which
is what they were used to using.”
Going to the toilet in the open remained the biggest hygiene
problem after the earthquake, because of privacy issues.
In order to solve this problem, the International Federation
and PRCS have also worked directly with communities to build
culturally-appropriate latrines, including separate community
toilets for women and men, as well as private toilets for individual
families.
“As women, we used to have to go to the toilet after dark,
when no one could see us… but now we have toilets in our
own homes and this allows us to maintain our privacy,”
says Qasim Jan, a resident of Hafizabad.
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A
woman washes dishes under a water tap provided by the
International Federation and Pakistan Red Crescent in
the village of Kappi Gali. (p15525)
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Earthquake-affected
communities have been directly involved in planning reconstruction
projects. The International Federation believes it is
vital that community members lead efforts to rebuild.
In Hafizabad, members of the Pakistan Red Crescent's water
and sanitation team work hand-in-hand with local villagers
to construct a water storage tank that will provide safe
drinking water for over 80 families. (p15526)
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Children
drink clean water from taps after finishing their day
at school. Clean water and good hygiene practices are
key to stopping the spread of disease. (p15527)
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