Humanitarian Response under Wash for Flood Affected Communities of Balochistan
Status: Completed Start Date: Aug 2010 End Date: Nov 2010 Geographic Coverage: District Naseerabad, Balochistan Focus Area: Humanitarian Assistance (Emergency Relief) SDG Goal: – Implementing Partner: SPO and Afghan Women’s Educational Centre (AWEC) Funding Partner: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
Country-wide torrential rains caused unprecedented and outrageous floods throughout Pakistan which had started in July 2010. According to initial joint assessment conducted by Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) and its local partner PEACE, the havoc caused by floods in eastern parts of Balochistan left more than 20,500 persons displaced in Districts of Barkhan, Kohlu, Sibi, Jafferabad, and Naseerabad.
In response to immediate water needs of the flood affected communities of Tehsil Tambu, District Naseerabad, SPO with the financial support of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reached out to the flood victims through a three-‐month long project title ‘Emergency Relief Operation for Flood Affectees in Balochistan’.
The overall project goal was to reduce the possible risk of epidemics outbreak in the affected areas of the district through its WASH interventions.
SPO then, being one of the first few to provide emergency response in Tehsil Tambu, had met the minimum standards of SPHERE by delivering;
Health and hygiene kits to women and children of 2000 families in affected tehsil of targeted district.
Women and children of 2000 families accessed clean drinking water with the provision of jerrycans distributed to them for water storage.
40 water sources (wells, hand pumps and water supply schemes) restored and now provided access to clean drinking water.
Through its humanitarian response team, SPO mobilized local community of volunteers in identification of H&H kits distribution points and damaged communal water sources. As a result of SPO’s interventions, the beneficiaries could access water from revived clean sources. The WASH activities of the project were implemented keeping in view the cultural practices in the district. The distribution points were established in places where accessible to women. The health and hygiene kits distributed had standard/minimum list of item that catered emergency needs, additional items according to the needs of women member of the community.
This humanitarian assistance response had achieved desired results, which were later shared with all stakeholders including UN agency, camp coordination teams, other working humanitarian organizations in the WASH cluster.
