Access to clean drinking water after the floods

by Jamil Akhtar, UNDP Pakistan

April 13, 2023

Ali Nawaz is a resident of Hamdan in Tehsil Bala Naarri of District Kacchi. Hamdan consists of four villages. According to Nawaz, access to water has been the biggest problem in their lives. They have a pond that gathers rainwater. The people of the area and their animals, all used to drink from the same open pond as there was no alternate source of water. They never realized the effect of unclean drinking water on their health. When the pond would dry up, they would sometimes have to go as far as ten kilometres to fetch water for their daily use.

Moreover, after the devastating floods of 2022, the freshwater source was contaminated in the area. This impacted access to clean drinking water for families and their livestock and led to the spread of waterborne diseases.

In partnership with Taraquee Foundation, UNDP Pakistan has built a shallow well in Hamdan, as well as storage tanks, washing pads and filling stations. The water is being distributed in all four villages through a pipeline. Nearly 1,000 people are benefiting from this scheme. Now, they have access to clean drinking water all year round, right at their doorstep.

The intervention is part of UNDP’s Flood Recovery Programme. Aligned with the Government of Pakistan's Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF), UNDP's Flood Recovery Programme aims to restore housing and community infrastructure, livelihoods, and government services while building disaster resistance and ensuring environmental protection.