Alejandra Araúz
Last Christmas will be remembered for a long time in the small community of Puerto Armuelles in Panama. An earthquake struck the area and deprived 250 families of their water supply thus presenting the Red Cross with a major development challenge once it had finished responding to the emergency needs of the population.
The situation became urgent when the Ministry of Health started to register cases of diarrhoea and hepatitis. In urban areas water pipes had suffered damage and some 40 wells were damaged in the countryside.
An assessment of the wells indicated that earth had either been pushed up from beneath, or entered from between the well-ring segments, making the wells very shallow. This was only partly due to the direct effects of the earthquake as poor construction work and inadequate well-protection measures also contributed to the problem.
Red Cross volunteer, Omar Robinson, tavelled 500 kms across country from his native Colón on the Caribbean coast to put his newly learned skills in water and sanitation to work in this community close to the border with Costa Rica. Omar completed a training programme run by the American Red Cross last October.
One of the skills he picked up was how to clean wells after a disaster which was vital to the water and sanitation project designed after the earthquake which sought to promote safer drinking water and sanitation to the affected community, focusing mainly on well-clearing and community health education on hygiene, sanitation and water protection.
“Initially the project goal was to train four volunteers from the Panamanian Red Cross, and five from the Puerto Armuelles branch, and give them practical field experience so they could continue the project after we left”, said Omar who was also pleased that some of the volunteers had a formal education in physics and chemistry.
The project started with a three-day workshop on how to perform well-clearing followed by the training of volunteers on handling of well-clearing equipment. Then the activities continued with the clearing of 48 wells, the upgrading of 10 wells including source protection, and the implementation of five drainage projects. The next step was the construction of latrines – a total of 30 were envisaged.
According to Omar, the participation of the community was remarkable. “The people were willing to work. We only had to tell them that we need to make the hole for the well, and in just two days they were able to dig four metres.”
“People in Puerto Armuelles now realize that after a disaster the most important thing is water. They are all aware of the importance of good quality water to drink, and I guess, that was the main reason they supported the project with their active participation.”