Pakistan

Pakistan

Country statistics Population: 161 mio. People without access to improved drinking water: 16 mio. Mortality among children below 5y: 9% Source: United Nations Statistics Division Project Project start 2002 Promotion through governmental program 1 mio. users

The promotion of the SODIS method in Pakistan started in 2002 through a collaboration with the ’Community Action Program’ (CAP), based in Faisalabad.

16 million people in Pakistan lack access to improved water sources. Furthermore, leakages in water supply and sewerage pipes in urban areas often leads to re-contamination of drinking water even in the privileged areas with centralized water treatment and household connections. As one strategy to mitigate the problem, the government has been installing communal filtration plants, where the people can collect safe drinking water. The construction of such treatment plants takes time, however, and the treated water is at risk of re-contamination during transport and storage. Treating drinking water at the point of use, e.g. with the SODIS method, is a viable strategy to increase the level of safe water consumption.

Since 2005, CAP has been collaborating with the Ministry of Health through the National Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care. CAP trains community health workers in this program on issues of hygiene and household water treatment. Every Lady Health Worker is responsible for 200 households, and instructs household members - mainly women - in the application of the SODIS-method. So far, CAP has reached more than 600’000 households in the districts Faisalabad, Jhang and Hyderabad through this channel. Another national program sponsered by USAID (Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Program) now also recommends the SODIS method as one option for household water treatment.

The goal of our efforts in Pakistan is to integrate the promotion of the SODIS method in the health and drinking water policies and programs at national level.

Local partner organisation

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