Water for Life

ICNA Relief's Water for Life program has brought clean water & sanitation resources to thousands of people across Pakistan, India, Haiti, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. This program hopes to enhance long-term development of communities by making drinkable water more accessible.

The objectives of the Water for Life program can be divided into two: (i) to provide clean drinking water to communities; and to (ii) develop proper sanitation services for those communities.

Clean Water Resources

ICNA Relief's Water for Life program tries to set up water hand pumps, water wells, tube wells and water tanks in remote villages where government agencies or other NGOs have not yet reached. In many remote villages of Pakistan and India, communities are made to drink from polluted water due to the lack of resources. In such situations, ICNA Relief endeavors to setup appropriate clean water solutions by examining the geography and landscape of the village – using research and studies from reputable institutions and government organizations – and implementing feasible clean water projects.

Speaking to us from Pakistan, brother Imran Khan, head of our Water for Life program, described in great detail how the HHRD team (our Pakistan sister organization) decides on which villages to target with the Water for Life program and what factors go into deciding the most cost-effective method of providing clean water to the community.

Brother Imran Khan explained, "The Water for Life team has developed geographical profiles of each key area in Pakistan that aid in deciding what type of water supply would be most suitable in that region." He added, "we use our own research and experience, as well as the research and study done by government agencies like Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR)." In some mountainous regions, gravity flow can be used to supply clean water to the nearby villages.

"In other regions, for example, the landscape is such that elevated tanks need to be built, with electrical motors pumping out the water from underground. The most cost-effective and effective option always is to build hand pumps that bring water to communities from the underground water; however, this option is only possible if the landscape and other factors allow."

In some cases, pipes are built to take water directly to each individual house. In most cases however, communal taps are built to serve every four to five houses.

In general, the Water for Life program operates either in emergency situations, where bare-minimum levels of clean water are needed for survivability; or under the 'Adopt a Village' umbrella program of ICNA Relief/Helping Hand to look after long-term development of an entire village/community.

In the long-term rehabilitation of Pakistan flood victims, for example, ICNA Relief Canada, along with its sister organizations in the United States and Pakistan, adopted eleven villages and built in each four to sixteen hand pumps, and worked on rebuilding/repairing another sixty to seventy pumps. In long term development projects, we have more options in how to facilitate clean water for the community.

During emergency relief scenarios however, the focus is on providing immediate relief to the affected population. Where a single hand pump would normally be built for every ten to fifteen persons, in a crisis situation, we would setup one hand pump for every one hundred persons. Sometimes, a water pump cannot be setup in a disaster area due to the lack of underground water; such cases require the use of specialized trucks that can transport large amounts of water; however this solution is temporary and aimed at quenching the immediate needs of a disaster stricken locality. Furthermore, in some disaster situations, like the Pakistan Floods of 2010 and 2011, there is no shortage of water, but the water is polluted; in such situations our team hands out 'aqua tablets' that purify the existing dirty water for drinking use.

Sanitation Services

Aside from delivering clean water sources, our Water for Life program partakes in related initiatives that help in maintaining water sanitation to control the spread of disease. Sanitation includes the construction and repair of drainage lines and systems, as well as building proper latrines (i.e. toilets), and setting up proper garbage disposal facilities (where possible).

Brother Imran Khan from Pakistan explained to us the various types of latrines that may be built in a local village; a temporary communal latrine can be used by up to twenty-two persons, and can last for three months; if the community cannot develop its own sanitation processes in that time frame, a more long lasting 'pour-flush ventilated latrine' would be built for four to five houses to use for another six to seven months; and in some cases, where needed, a semi-permanent latrine can be built for each home individually that would be longer lasting.

In addition, ICNA Relief also participates in the United Nations' Water And Sanitation Hygiene (WASH) program. Under the WASH program, we conduct various educational/informative seminars in remote villages and disaster stricken communities to educate the people on proper hygiene practices that prevent disease and promote good health.

Donate Online