Marking World Water Day, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has developed a plan to implement 14 water and sanitation projects during 2024. These include the digging and rehabilitation of surface water wells and boreholes, installation of water tanks and solar-powered pumps, provision of water coolers at public places, and deployment of tanker trucks to distribute drinking water to affected people in areas with scarce water resources.
The total number of beneficiaries of these projects is 411,000 people in Palestine (Gaza), Yemen, Niger, Sudan, Somalia, Afghanistan, Lebanon, and Iraq. The total cost is QR21,959,547. Potable water is one of the basics of life, a public health requirement, and a key Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). However, many communities around the world meet multiple, considerable challenges to obtain safe water, including contamination, inadequate infrastructure, climate change, and natural disasters.
The worst impact of these challenges is the spread of water-borne diseases, such as diarrhea, typhoid, and cholera, especially among children and vulnerable/underserved groups. QRCS attaches overriding importance to the provision of clean drinking water during its disaster response operations, by digging and rehabilitating water wells/irrigation canals, providing purified water, and distributing personal and family hygiene materials to affected communities.
During 2023, QRCS carried out numerous activities to secure water and sewage facilities, including the distribution of hygiene kits, water bottles, water containers, and mosquito nets; deployment of drinking water tankers; digging and equipment of water wells; hygiene awareness-raising; rainwater harvesting; maintenance and rehabilitation of water stations and water supply systems; and construction of toilets.
The total cost of these projects amounted to QR12,325,539 (6% of the foreign aid provided last year), and they helped improve the lives of 419,439 beneficiaries in Vanuatu, Somalia, Yemen, Niger, Bangladesh, Iraq, Palestine, and Jordan.
