The
health situation of earthquake survivors in the town of Balakot
in the northwest frontiers of Pakistan has considerably improved
over the last few days as they finally have access to clean
water in their camps. Cases of waterborne diseases and skin
infections have already stabilized after a Swedish/Austrian
Red Cross water and sanitation team set up a water purification
plant that can serve up to 40,000 people.
Little remains of the buzzing town of Balakot. It is a well
known resort to hikers and tourists, situated at the bottom
of the Kaghan Valley and surrounded by the scenic mountain range
of Hindu Kush. Balakot, with a population of 35,000, and neighbouring
villages were almost completely destroyed in the devastating
earthquake on 8 October. It is estimated that at least 20,000
of the residents died in the disaster. All that is now left
is a tented camp where a few thousand survivors are still fighting
for their lives under harsh living conditions.
Most of the tents have been erected in the valley along the
river. There, people are busy carrying on with their daily chores
as much as they can - washing their clothes, doing the dishes
and taking a bath. Although most are aware of the danger of
drinking untreated water, it can sometimes be too tempting to
draw water from the river rather than walking to the nearest
well.
“We use the river water for most things. It is difficult
to find clean drinking water but when we can, we go to the well
by the mosque,” says Mahroofan, a mother of five who has
come to Balakot with her family down from the mountain village
of Bagra.
Mahroofan is worried about the sanitation situation –
there are no proper toilets in her vicinity. She finds it very
difficult to cope, as she constantly has to attend to her sick
children and old frail mother-in-law.
“The children and mother have been ill, vomiting and having
bad stomach aches,” she says, and adds that it is probably
due to the water they are using.
Zainab, who stays in a tent a little further down the river,
shares her concern. It took her and her six children three days
to walk from the mountain village of Hangrai – yet another
place that was completely demolished by the earthquake. She
lost her husband, but the family has been receiving help from
her two brothers.
“We came to Balakot because there are no facilities and
no food left in Hangrai,” she says. “But we have
had great problem with getting clean water, so all the children
have been sick.”
This is now changing. In the days since the Swedish/Austrian
Red Cross water purification plant has been up and running,
fewer people have been diagnosed with waterborne diseases such
as diarrhoea and skin infections – ailments that can be
directly linked to consumption and use of contaminated water.
“A great number of people who seek our assistance are
suffering from scabies and upset stomach. In recent days that
problem seems to be stabilizing, as we have not had the steep
increase of these cases like in the beginning when we first
opened the clinic,” says Martha Guixens, doctor at the
Spanish Red Cross emergency response health clinic that is also
based in Balakot and serves the same population around town.
The Red Cross water and sanitation team has capacity to provide
up to 600,000 litres of water per day and serve some 40,000
people, but due to the high death-toll in the area they are
only treating water for the remaining population. They have
the same main source of water as the others - the river - but
from there it goes into three specialized tanks for purification.
“We have set up seven water-points with taps around the
camp, and one point for trucks to fill up water-bowsers that
distribute clean water to those that stay outside the main area,”
says Gerd Toeppner, a water engineer with the Swedish/Austrian
Red Cross team. “The quality of the water has been tested,
and it is 100 per cent pure so we are satisfied.”
And so are the people in the camp. They no longer need to stock
up on water, but can go straight to the tap night or day and
get as much clean water as they want.
“There was a real shortage of drinking water, and that
created a lot of problems,” says Abdul Khankun, a 70 year
old earthquake survivor as he fills up his water bottle.
“Thanks for the Red Crescent and the Red Cross for providing
us with clean water.”
The water and sanitation unit has been working with Pakistan
Red Crescent volunteers from Balakot. Together they have laid
the pipeline throughout the camp, and they have received on-the-job
training so that they continue providing clean water to the
population once the Red Cross team pulls out in a few months
time. The most urgent need for now, however, is to install sanitation
facilities and washing areas for the people before winter sets
in.
N.B. - The Swedish/Austrian Red Cross water and sanitation ERU
is fully financed by the Humanitarian Aid Department of the
European Commission (ECHO) which has donated nearly 400,000
Euros.
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People
in Balakot have been suffering from diarrhoeal diseases
and scabies from drinking and washing in contaminated
water (p13715)
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Martha
Guixens, doctor at the Spanish RC ERU health clinic says
that cases of waterborne diseases have stabilized since
the watsan ERU started producing and distributing clean
water. (p13716)
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Red
Cross delegate Joakim Ericsson, in front of a water tank.
The Red Cross water and sanitation team has the capacity
to provide up to 600,000 litres of water per day and serve
some 40,000 people (Wat San Swedish RC)
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