Intro
Water in crisis
The pressure on freshwater resources
is growing all over the world, and the
demand is on the rise. The world
population grows annually by 80
million people, which is ten times the
Swiss population.
However, the
availability of water is still limited.
Access to water, sanitary facilities and
hygiene is by no means a matter of
course for many people. Contaminated
water is also the cause for spreading
epidemics.
There is no life without water and that's why this valuable natural resource concerns us all. Even though Switzerland has enough water, it’s still committed to find solutions for the global water problems.
There is no life without water and that's why this valuable natural resource concerns us all. Even though Switzerland has enough water, it’s still committed to find solutions for the global water problems.
Cycle
What does WA – S – H stand for?
WASH stands for water, sanitation and
hygiene. In other words, it's about
access to clean water, a toilet and soap
to wash your hands. The only way to
guarantee healthy living conditions is
to combine the various interventions in
the areas of water supply, construction
of sanitary facilities and hygiene
training. The environment plays a big
part in this.
Only if the water we return
to nature is safe, will our environment
be able survive and protect us from
disease. These points, which have
partially been realised due to
Switzerland’s tireless engagement, are
part of the 17 sustainable development
goals of the United Nations. With its
signature, Switzerland has committed
to contribute to achieve these goals by
2030.
Water
Water
The W in WASH stands for water
supply, wastewater management and
water protection. For many regions in
the world this means identifying new
approaches for technical water
management.
Projects
Switzerland supports several projects
in the water sector.
Sanitation
Sanitation
The S in W A S H stands for sanitation.
It is about faeces disposal and
wastewater management to make sure
the water is free of germs when it goes
back to nature. It’s also about granting
people safe access to sanitation within
appropriate reach. This is particularly
important for women, people with
disabilities and the elderly. Adequate
sanitary facilities are a basic human
right. However, the wastewater of
more than 2.4 billion people, which
equates to one third of the global
population, is not managed properly.
Projects
Switzerland supports numerous
projects in the sanitation sector
Hygiene
Hygiene
The H in WASH stands for hygiene.
Hygiene means that you look after the
cleanliness of your body; that the
environment does not pose a threat to
your health and that dangerous factors
such as bacteria, viruses and parasites
as well as other vectors are under
control. Hygiene also means access to
sanitation facilities that safeguard
privacy and dignity and are accessible,
affordable, safe, hygienic and culturally
acceptable. If the already insufficient
sanitary infrastructure collapses after a
natural disaster or the outbreak of a
conflict, the risk of catching disease
rises drastically.
Projects
Switzerland supports several projects
in the hygiene sector
Conflict
Conflict prevention
Water pollution and access to clean water is one of the main causes of
tensions in Meddle East.
Next
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Tensions in Lebanon
Water pollution and access to clean water is one of the main causes of
tensions in the Bekaa Valley - not only between refugees and locals - but
also within the Lebanese population.
An additional focus of Switzerland's commitment is therefore conflict prevention. Both the Human Security Division and the SDC maintain close cooperation with the NGO International Alert.
International Alert providing training on dialogue and conflict resolution, training female community leaders to resolve local conflicts in their communities.
Access to clean water is not only a major potential for conflict in the Bekaa Das Engagement der DEZA im Libanon 4 Valley. Throughout the Middle East sufficient access to clean water has become a key target in the fight against poverty, as well as in bring peace and political stability. This is the credo of the Blue Peace Initiative, which was launched in 2010 and is supported by Switzerland.
Ukraine
Ukraine is the biggest country in
Europe whose borders are entirely on
the European continent. An armed
conflict has been ongoing in the East of
the country since 2014. Ten per cent of
the 44.8 million people of Ukraine live
in the Donbass region, which was once
economically thriving.
Now, the people of Donbass are separated by the so- called contact line, which has the length of the German-French border and is a bit longer than the distance between Geneva and Scoul.
Now, the people of Donbass are separated by the so- called contact line, which has the length of the German-French border and is a bit longer than the distance between Geneva and Scoul.
5.2 million people are affected by the
humanitarian crisis. 3.5 million people
depend on humanitarian aid.
More than a third of the affected people are over the age of 60. Most of the water supply systems in Ukraine originate from the former Soviet Union. One single system often supplies millions of people with water.
More than a third of the affected people are over the age of 60. Most of the water supply systems in Ukraine originate from the former Soviet Union. One single system often supplies millions of people with water.
The “Voda Donbassa“ water supply
system serves around four million
people on both sides of the contact
line. The system has 18 water filter
stations along the contact line; nine on
each side. The amount of water
running through one of its nine pumps
in one hour equates to the average
daily water consumption of Bern. It is
the biggest such system in Europe.
With the main channel crossing the
contact line twice and the big filter
stations being in its vicinity, it is
exposed to heavy shelling, especially
during the night. This leads to regular
disruptions of the supply chain cutting
tens of thousands of people off their
daily basic supplies. If the water supply
were to be permanently disrupted,
four million people would be forced to
migrate – this constitutes half of the
Swiss population.
When due to the conflict “Voda
Donbassa” became almost unable to
treat drinking water as chemicals were
no longer available, Switzerland
stepped in.
Three components are required to supply water in a conflict zone like in eastern Ukraine:
1. Infrastructure
2. Qualified personnell 3. Sufficient energy and chemicals
Three components are required to supply water in a conflict zone like in eastern Ukraine:
1. Infrastructure
2. Qualified personnell 3. Sufficient energy and chemicals
Chad
The largest part of Chad is covered in
desert. The Sahara region in the north
makes up about half of the country.
Civil population suffers from violence,
inadequate infrastructure and
disastrous humanitarian conditions.
Forty per cent of the population live
below the poverty line. Only half of the
population has access to safe drinking
water. In many poor countries in the
world, necessary hygiene is a huge
challenge, especially in terms of
spreading disease.
Chad has repeatedly been struck down
by Cholera epidemics.
Lebanon
As a result of the Syrian crisis, hundreds of
thousands of refugees fled to Lebanon. Today Lebanon has over 1 million Syrian
and Palestinian refugees, an enormous strain on a country with a population of
just over 4 million.
Most of the Syrians have settled in make-shift
camps and are living under harsh conditions.
In the Bekaa Valley, at the boarder to
Syria, every second inhabitant is a Syrian refugee.
The
local population has so far reacted with exceptional generosity to the large
number of migrants. Nevertheless, the refugees are a great burden for the
country which is rapidly reaching its limits in reception capacity.
It
is becoming increasingly difficult for the Lebanese authorities to meet the
basic needs of the refugees and of the local population. Therefore, SDC decided to support the
local authorities in building up a sustainable water management to ensure basic
supplies for the local population as well as the refugees.
The arrival of the refugees is not the only challenge local water authorities are facing. The water sector has been neglected for many years resulting in a poor infrastructure and insufficient management.
The arrival of the refugees is not the only challenge local water authorities are facing. The water sector has been neglected for many years resulting in a poor infrastructure and insufficient management.
Together
with the Local Water Authority the SDC team identified the 45 most important
pumping stations in the Bekaa Valley and decided to restore them.
The information of sensors transmitted to a central
monitoring station at the Local Water Authority headquarters. From here, the
pumping stations can be operated remotely: pumps can be switched on and off and
the flow rates and water quality appear on the screens.
The
local water authority handles over a hundred chlorination units. But due to
lack of knowhow and tools, they were not working. SDC provided training to the
local staff as well as two specially-equipped vehicles to help improve the
quality of the drinking water.
Menstrual taboo
The unexpected influx of refugees has
been difficult for the region, one of the
country’s most vulnerable ones. So far,
920,000 Rohingya have arrived.
The problems involved are immense.
One of the biggest challenges is access
to drinking water, which is limited in
the region anyway. Some people even
collect their water from the rice fields.
Such circumstances negatively affect hygiene, which results in a high rate of
malnutrition.
In an effort to improve hygiene among
refugees, soap, washing detergent and
kettles have been distributed. Men,
women and children took part in
handwashing workshops. Puppets were
used to teach the small children how to
properly wash their hands. Such rules
are usually hard and difficult to follow.
However, when explained by a puppet,
they become more alive and easier to
understand.
Women and girls received washable
sanitary towels and underwear. They
participated in workshops on
menstruation during which hygiene
specialist Mariangela D’adamo
conveyed a loud and clear message:
“Menstruation does not make a
woman impure”.
Menstruation still has many taboos and
is stigmatised. The Rohingya people do
not allow women and girls to leave the
house or have contact with men during
their menstruation. Menstruating
women are often seen as “impure”;
they are isolated and limited in their
freedom of movement. So far, they are
still excluded from daily social activities
and are not allowed to eat certain
foods.
Refugee women hardly have enough
privacy to menstruate in dignity. In the
refugee camps, there are not enough
sanitary towels, extra underwear, water for washing and preventing
infection, pain killers and safe places
where women can wash. Only half of
the women state that their needs for
their monthly hygiene are covered.
Start-up programme Lebanon
CEWAS supports young, innovative start-up companies that contribute
to the sustainable use of water.
CEWAS, a Swiss NGO supported by the SDC, is also a member of the Blue Peace Network.
CEWAS, a Swiss NGO supported by the SDC, is also a member of the Blue Peace Network.
The Start up Programme is built on very comprehensive training where we
tackle everything from how to actually come up with a minimum viable
product to how to bring it out into the wild, into the actual market and what
are the different factors entrepreneurs need to consider in order to make the
survival chances as a start up as strong as possible.
Within this programme, a group of young chemical engineers founded the
start-up company Clean20 and developed a new type of water filter.
The device is composed of 4 layers of different filters, which kill both
bacteria and viruses as well as remove dirt and chemical toxins.
The novelty of this device is not the filter itself but the combination of them.
And this device is portable, cheap and easy to use.
"We have showed some refugees the prototype, we've had a lot of feedback from the refugees where some of them were very interested in owning one and using it."
Mohamad Fakkraddine
Ebola in DRC
In terms of size, the Democratic
Republic of Congo is the second biggest
country in Africa. It is 57 times larger
than Switzerland. Its 94 million
inhabitants can be divided into 200
different ethnic groups. Especially the
east of the country has been riddled
with conflict and civil war for decades.
Around 60 per cent of the population
suffer from extreme poverty and are
unable to meet their basic needs. Due
to the protracted crisis, more than 13
million people depend on humanitarian
aid in DRC.
In 2018, Switzerland committed CHF 14.6 million to provide food and protection in an effort to alleviate the suffering of the displaced people in the East and centre of the country.
In 2018, Switzerland committed CHF 14.6 million to provide food and protection in an effort to alleviate the suffering of the displaced people in the East and centre of the country.
The latest Ebola outbreak, which has
hit the already war-torn East of the
country, exacerbates the situation even
more. In the Ebola-affected region,
humanitarian needs have already been
enormous due to the violent conflict.
More than 1.5 million displaced people
are waiting for much-needed
assistance. This has created frustration
and rejection among the population,
which has even led to some people
attacking facilities as well as helpers
trying to get the disease under control.
Switzerland support projects of
MEDAIR in DRC.
Wastewater Management in Lebanon
Wastewater management is a huge issue in
Lebanon. Only 8 percent of wastewater is treated. The rest goes to the rivers
and to the sea. The few existing treatment plants are not running properly due
to the lack of trained personnel, power cuts and missing quality controls.
This wastewater monitoring unit consists of 15 staff members, all of whom
undertook an 8 month intensive training programme.
In a first step, this unit is taking samples at the inflow and outflow of the wastewater plants.
In a first step, this unit is taking samples at the inflow and outflow of the wastewater plants.
SDC helped the water authority of the Bekaa Valley set
up a laboratory where these samples are analyzed. The results are then
compared to the ones provided by the contractor.
In a second phase, the project will focus on capacity building and
operational improvements to raise treatment standards.
S-Rohingyas
What happens when hundreds of thousands of people need a toilet
The Rohingya families in the refugee
camps in Cox’s Bazar on the border
between Bangladesh and Myanmar live
in the most abysmal conditions and
have very limited access to sanitary
facilities. Safe drinking water is one of
the most sensitive issues.
Almost 730,000 Rohingya, Myanmar’s
severely discriminated Muslim
minority, have been fleeing to the
south of their neighbouring country
Bangladesh since August 2017. After
having walked for days, they are often
exhausted, sick and famished when
they finally arrive in Cox’s Bazar, the
biggest refugee camp in the world.
The sparse and poor sanitary facilities
are by far not sufficient. Unless they
are immediately rehabilitated, the risk
of epidemics runs high; Cholera and
watery diarrhoea are endemic in
Bangladesh. Due to the high population
density, any epidemic can quickly
affect thousands of people.
In order to prevent open defecation
and spreading epidemics that come
with it, emergency latrines have been
constructed. The demand for toilets is
high. Disposing of the faeces is very
labour intensive. The refugees
themselves take care of the disposal
and are compensated for their work.
In an effort to improve the situation, the SDC funds a project of the NGO Solidarités International (SI).
In an effort to improve the situation, the SDC funds a project of the NGO Solidarités International (SI).
Protection of Nature
A large part of the
population is not aware of environmental issues. That's why SDC supports
the local NGO SPNL, the Society for the protection of nature in Lebanon.
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Water in crisis
