System repairs restore clean water and reduce risk of disease for nearly 70,000 people

Men from Khunda Mittikot in Mansehra District lay new pipe to repair part of a water system broken during the Oct. 8 earthquake.

"Without this water, these people would have either moved somewhere else or died."

-- Hakim Khan, a member of the Upper Mittikot development council

An earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale that struck northern Pakistan on Oct. 8 significantly damaged water and sanitation systems across five districts of the North West Frontier Province. About 75 percent of all water systems in villages were gravity-fed, so that water from springs was stored in tanks and carried to villages through a simple piped system. The earthquake damaged reservoirs and pipes while mudslides buried the springs themselves. After the earthquake, villagers often walked long distances to streams and rivers for drinking and personal hygiene. This created considerable risk for the spread of disease and the contamination of existing water sources and the surrounding environment.

To improve living conditions and reduce the risk of disease, USAID funded a $2 million program by implementing partner International Medical Corps to provide access to safe drinking water to nearly 70,000 people across the Mansehra and Battagram Districts. The program rehabilitates water systems in more than 130 villages and supports a community-based hygiene promotion campaign in collaboration with other NGOs. Teams of local residents receive the prevailing daily wage of 200 rupees per person to repair and replace pipes broken by the quake. A skilled plumber, paid 400 rupees daily, supervises each team's work and tightens pipe joints. Village residents also attend five hours of hygiene training conducted by one of their own trained community members, and receive hygiene supplies for personal sanitation and plastic containers for the safe storage of drinking water. Some 69,000 feet of new pipe has been laid to repair and restore water systems so far. The program will be completed by the end of April.

"Our biggest joy is that we have water. Even we weren't earning a daily wage, that is enough," said Niaz of Khunda Mittikot village in Mansehra District, who earns 200 rupees a day repairing and laying water pipes. "It's easier to keep our clothes and dishes clean now that we have water," said Abdul Minan, an Upper Mittikot resident. By restoring clean water to villages and helping local residents earn cash for meeting household needs, this USAID program reduces the risk of disease, encourages the timely return of residents from emergency relief camps and improves the quality of life of quake survivors who chose to stay near their homes.