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The
tsunami operation in the Maldives
Shelter and water and sanitation programmes
August 2006 |
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Collecting
safe water supplied by the International Federation on Thulusdhoo
Island, Maldives. The Maldives is chronically short of fresh
water, despite being surrounded by sea water. Its population
of 300,000, who live on 120 inhabited islands, relies on rainwater
and thin lenses of groundwater, trapped beneath the islands.
The tsunami ruined the groundwater supplies, so the International
Federation is responding by installing 15 supplementary water
systems (desalination plants) on the islands most in-need
of fresh supplies. The International Federation is also installing
over 100,000 rainwater harvesting tanks in the Maldives. With
money from the Irish Red Cross, the Hong Kong branch of Red
Cross Society of China, the American Red Cross and Australian
Red Cross, four municipal sewage schemes are being installed
to clean up the ground water and improve the shoreline environment.
Groundbreaking took place last week on Maafushi Island, which
was badly damaged by the tsunami.
(p14500)
Photo: Joe
Lowry/International Federation
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