See how people are benefitting from access to clean water in three rural villages in Pakistan.
Pakistan
Written by
Elizabeth Austin Levoy, Senior Communications Specialist
Photos by Usman Ghani
When monsoon flooding hit Pakistan in 2022, infrastructure was severely damaged or destroyed, leaving villagers without sources of clean water or modern sanitation. Since then, our water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) team has worked tirelessly to repair and rebuild these systems in flood-affected areas, including the Shaheed Benazirabad district of Sindh province.
14-year-old Asma holds a jar that she will fill with water at a hand pump installed by International Medical Corps in Ghuram Khan Brohi village. Monsoon flooding destroyed the local water supply system. Until recently, Asma and her family had been forced to rely on a nearby river for unsafe water.
Asma pumps water for her family at a hand pump installed by International Medical Corps.
25-year-old Shamma works on embroidery at her home in Ghuram Khan Brohi village. Before International Medical Corps repaired the water supply system there, Shamma had to travel long distances for water, leaving little to no time for embroidery—which meant she couldn’t earn an income for her family, causing significant financial hardship.
Naseem and other girls from her village bring water back to their homes from the nearby water supply system, installed by International Medical Corps.
16-year-old Naseem lives in Waryal Shah A village. She and her family now have enough clean water to support some livestock and a small garden at their home—including the cow behind her, which gives them fresh, nutritious milk to drink.
“Over the past year, my colleagues and I have been working with communities and local governments to develop climate-resilient water and sanitation systems for several villages,” explains Burhan Ullah, WASH Coordinator in Pakistan. “We’ve installed solar-powered water supply systems and new household toilets, and have educated local communities about sanitation measures, such as handwashing, to help prevent infectious diseases.”
International Medical Corps Assistant Hygiene Promoter Irum Sattar explains to a group of women in Syed Waryal Shah A village how sanitation measures—such as frequent handwashing—can help prevent infectious diseases like cholera and watery diarrhea.
Women in Syed Waryal Shah A village listen intently as Irum Sattar shares important sanitation practices.
Burhan Ullah, WASH Coordinator, meets with the local water management committee in Rindo Khan Laghari village. Water management committee members are trained to maintain water supply systems, so the systems don’t break down or malfunction over time.
A recently rehabilitated reverse-osmosis water-purification plant in Rindo Khan Laghari village brings clean, safe water to the community with climate-resilient, solar-powered technology.
International Medical Corps WASH Engineer Jibran Ahmed inspects the solar panels that power the reverse-osmosis water-purification plant behind him.
Burhan, along with Communications Officer Kamran Shafi, WASH Engineer Jibran Ahmed and Assistant Hygiene Promoter Irum Sattar, recently visited three villages in Shaheed Benazirabad to meet with water management committees, observe programs and see how villagers are benefitting, now that they can easily access clean, safe water.
8-year-old Muskaan fills her water jug with clean water from the water supply system in Rindo Khan Laghari village.
In response to the flooding in 2022, International Medical Corps provided a wide range of WASH services, including emergency pit latrines that currently serve more than 8,200 people. We also delivered more than 8.6 million liters of clean drinking water via water trucking and more than 700,000 liters via a mobile reverse-osmosis plant that we operated with a local partner, AWARE, for months after the disaster. As recovery efforts continue, our teams are keeping up their efforts to work with local authorities to reach communities in need.
