" The area where we work
is insalubrious. In this coastal forest, water is everywhere
and ground water emerges here and there, forming swampy pockets
that turn into unhealthy, muddy land around houses. According
to Sulaiman, chief of the Leung Keu Beu Jaga village, malaria
affects 30% of the families and almost all the members of
the community, particularly children, suffer from diarrhoeas...
"
(Jean-Arnaud, Tsunami
geographic manager for SOLIDARITÉS) |
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PRESENTATION
OF OUR WATER PROGRAMMES
Indonesia (Sumatra):
after the Tsunami, restoring drinking
water and hygiene for refugees
The Tsunami that struck the coasts of South-East Asia on
December 26, caused more than 26,000 deaths, 500,000 displaced
persons, over 250 hospitals and clinics destroyed, 1,755 schools
destroyed or damaged. The island of Sumatra, located nearest
to the earthquake's epicentre, paid the highest price. SOLIDARITÉS
took action on January 5, 2005 in Sri Lanka. Moved by the
same impetus, the Association could not fail to respond to
the needs of the afflicted inhabitants of the ravaged coasts
of Sumatra.
As soon as January 28, 2005, faithful to its approach which
combines emergency and reconstruction, SOLIDARITÉS
initiated a programme designed to meet at the same time peoples'
basic needs and reconstruction needs (particularly in the
essential domains of access to education and to healthcare)
in the region of Meulaboh, on the western coast of Sumatra,
which was hit extremely violently by the Tsunami.
Emergency programme for access to
drinking water and sanitation, and for reconstruction, implemented
jointly with ECHO (Humanitarian Aid Department of the European
Commission), the "Fondation de France" and the DIPT
(Post-Tsunami Inter-ministerial Delegation of the French Government).
Period from January 28 to January 27, 2006, for a budget of
885,000 Euros. A new follow-up programme is currently being
implemented.
This programme has allowed us to provide the following services
to over 39 564 persons (displaced populations living in camps,
or in the process of being relocated in villages) from the
districts of Nagan Raya and Aceh Barat, in the provinceof
Aceh (Meulaboh area):
In terms of access to water and sanitation:
-
Drill holes, executed with a hand drilling
machine, enabled us to reach the deep groundwater layer (60%
of these drillings are artesian and require therefore no maintenance).
In the camps hosting displaced persons, these drillings were
connected to a water network supplying latrines, showers,
and kitchens.
-
The construction or rehabilitation, the
cleaning and development of 86 wells. Furthermore, systematic
analyses are performed by our specialist volunteers, in order
to verify water potability and properties.
-
The construction of 644 latrines in camps,
villages, or in public educational and health facilities.
In terms of rehabilitating educational and social infrastructures:
During this programme, each well installation project was discussed
and decided jointly with user beneficiaries. Similarly, local
authorities, in particular at the levels of district and local
representatives of ministries (health, education, public works...),
were consulted and gave their approval with these projects.
This programme is naturally designed to continue in
Sumatra, involving the same joint partnership with ECHO (Humanitarian
Aid Department of the European Commission), and dedicated to
the essential domains of water access and sanitation, in the
Province of Aceh, and on the island of Nias. It is scheduled
from February 1, 2006 to January 27, 2007, with a budget of
1,360,700 Euros.
The objective is to provide aid to populations affected by
the earthquake, as well as by years of armed conflict (the rebellion
of the Free Aceh Movement "GAM") in the districts
of Aceh Barat, Pidie and Nagan Raya located in the province
of Aceh (40,000 beneficiaries), and in the Nias island districts
of Lolofitu-Moï, Mandrehe, Hiliduo (20,000 beneficiaries).
Nias, a small island located off the west coast of Sumatra,
was hit on March 28, 2005 by an earthquake that caused 1,100
deaths, and made thousands of people homeless. Taking into account
the needs identified by a preliminary evaluation, our action
will continue to focus on providing access to drinking water
sites (drillings, building and rehabilitating wells, developing
springs) and basic hygiene resources (building public and family
latrines, distributing hygiene kits, sensitising and training
people to basic hygiene rules.)
SOLIDARITÉS' team in Indonesia currently comprises 10
expatriate volunteers and around 50 Indonesians.
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