Ethiopia:access to clean water-a fight for life

A boy fetches water from an unprotected well in Mezabir.

© ICRC / Seyoum Dehre

The evidence of the destruction is muted by a spectacular landscape and the generosity and the willingness of its people to rebuild what has been lost. Even though the full-scale war between Ethiopia and its
neighbour Eritrea officially ended in 2000, tension is still palpable
in the villages close to the border.

A lot of de-mining work remains to be done. But some of the most lethal
dangers could come from an act as natural and simple as sipping water
or bathing.

“Five of the top ten diseases that we deal with are water borne.” says
Milu Atsibaha Nerie, Head of the District Health centre in Adigrat.

”Diarrhoea, conjunctivitis, malaria, lung and skin diseases and
intestinal parasites have been reported regularly in the villages
served by this centre. These diseases can lead to complications which
may then become fatal.”

He confirms the claims by the communities that clean water is still not
adequately available. The war not only caused a high number of
casualties and displaced over a hundred thousand people. It also
resulted in the destruction of habitation and water points. Because
Tigray has a low annual rainfall of between 200-500 mm, is overly
populated and mountainous, urgent interventions were needed to prevent
further loss of life due to a lack of access to clean water.

The ICRC, present in Ethiopia since 1977, has used its unique mandate
to assist war affected communities in areas where other humanitarian
organisations may not have ready access.

Part of its work implies the construction and rehabilitation of water
supply systems. In the border town of Zalambessa for instance, the
organization provided water in tankers for as long as 18 months, before
the system was fully restored in 2005. In this unique urban project,
the ICRC in close cooperation with the Regional Water Bureau and the
Ethiopian Red Cross reconstructed the entire water supply system for a
population of about 30,000 people.

Most projects of the ICRC however, are carried out in rural areas,
where 85% of Ethiopians live. The criteria for choosing a location are
based on the vulnerability of the people. The village must have been
affected by the conflict and have limited access to clean water. The
water sources the ICRC constructed or rehabilitated in Tigray in 2006
have benefited at least 135,000 people. Techniques applied are as
diverse as the construction of boreh***s, hand dug wells, rain water
catchments and solar pumping systems.

A solar plate close to Mezabir produces 600 watt energy, enough to pump 8000 litres of water daily up to the village.

© ICRC / Seyoum Dehre

"The more a community is involved, the better a project will succeed", explains José Ferreira Domingues, an ICRC water engineer based in Tigray.

"It ensures that the projects outlive the presence of the ICRC. Rain
water catchments if well maintained can last at least 50 years."

The organisation provides the communities with the necessary skills,
know-how and equipment. Labour and much of the raw material are
obtained locally.

Part of the responsibility of the community is to ensure that water
sources are not tampered with. Before the ICRC hands over the source
the community has to fence it, set access hours and if necessary hire a
guard.

In Tekeze, a village of 2,500 people for instance, though the hand dug
well is ready the community is still using the river, since the fencing
has not been completed yet. A pile of stones around the pump shows that
the work is in progress and the members of the water committee confirm
their commitment to the project.

Not least, because the dangers of using the river water go beyond
falling sick. Frawine, a mother of six children reports, "During the
rainy season when the river bed rises a common problem is, that
crocodiles eat those who fetch water."

Many of the communities targeted were served by water sources requiring
many hours of travel. Moreover, most of these sources did not provide
clean water making the community vulnerable to water borne diseases.

In Mezabir for instance, a village high up in the mountains, people walked approximately ten kilometres to and from the river to meet their water requirements. Women used to leave at three o' clock in the
morning and only returned 7 hours later.

Today a solar pumping system installed by the ICRC provides the village
with 8,000 litres of drinking water per day benefiting 2,500 people.
Seventy-one year old Wuldai Kahsay from Mezabir says “It was hard
before the ICRC came. For those of us who are elderly and sick, we
often had to go without food for days. I like that the water point is
now close enough for me to fetch water after I begin cooking.”

To improve the health of the population the ICRC complements its
projects with a hygiene training programme. This equips the communities
to use the available water in ways that enhance the quality of their
lives. Lessons as simple as washing hands before a meal, using latrines
or mapping the village in such a way as to keep the disposal areas as
far as possible from the food processing and storage areas are crucial.

Alan Braham, a member of the water committee in Tekeze says “The
training taught us to stop open defecation by the river. At first, the
community was resistant to digging latrines and the slabs provided by
ICRC remained untouched for two weeks. Now we can't keep up with the
demand.”

His colleague, 40 year old business woman Abeba, corroborates this by
saying “I realised how important it was to learn how to use the water
supply safely, this is why I attended the training. We are much better
off now. “

The ICRC is carrying out similar water projects in other parts of
Ethiopia. Seven water engineer expatriates and 24 national water
technicians are employed countrywide. Apart form Tigray, they also
initiate projects in rural areas of Afar, Gambella and Somali Regions,
as well as in some places of detention throughout the country. Wherever
they work, they need the support of the communities, an indispensable
element for the success of their projects.