When Pakistan was hit with record-breaking monsoon flooding in 2022, critical infrastructure across the country was damaged or destroyed. Nearly two years later, communities are still rebuilding. Our water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) teams coordinate with the Public Health Department in Pakistan to identify communities in need, where we then build or rehabilitate water and sanitation systems.
In Rindo Khan Laghari village, we recently fixed a water supply system, including a reverse osmosis (RO) water purification plant, and rehabilitated low-cost household latrines, ultimately bringing desperately needed clean water and sanitation facilities to more than 5,000 people.
“Before International Medical Corps came to our village, we were facing many problems,” says Khalida Laghari, a 34-year-old resident of Rindo Khan Laghari village.
For nearly two years, Khalida and her family relied on unsafe water sources, including wells and rivers, or they were forced to purchase water, which was a significant financial burden.
“Now,” she says, “we have access to safe drinking water and proper latrines, and my children are living a hygienic and healthy life, protected from many waterborne diseases. Their immune systems are stronger than before.”
“Waterborne diseases spread rapidly, especially among young children, when they drink water from unsafe sources,” explains Burhan Ullah, WASH Coordinator in Pakistan. “By rehabilitating this water supply system, we have delivered life to this village, which had been without a clean water source for nearly two years.”
The RO plant purifies borehole water by removing impurities and contaminants through a semi-permeable membrane, producing safe drinking water. Community members collect the treated water from taps at a water collection area. The RO plant operates on solar energy and has a capacity of 12,000 gallons per day, making clean, safe water available to the community 24 hours per day.
Before fixing the RO plant, our WASH team worked with the community members, including the local water management committee, to ensure that there was community buy-in and that the RO plant would be maintained. They also showed villagers how to conduct regular water testing to ensure that the water was clean.
In response to the flooding in 2022, International Medical Corps provided a wide range of WASH services, including emergency pit latrines that currently serve more than 8,200 people. We also delivered more than 8.6 million litres of clean drinking water via water trucking and more than 700,000 litres via a mobile RO plant that we operated with local partner AWARE for months after the disaster. As recovery efforts continue, our teams are working with local authorities to reach communities in need.