Action Against Hunger Provides Clean Water & Sanitation in Flood-Affected Pakistan

Despite serious logistical challenges in reaching flood survivors in hard-hit areas of Pakistan, Action Against Hunger | ACF-International has launched emergency programmes to stem outbreaks of deadly water-borne illnesses and help families who have lost everything. These programmes target 52,500 people, particularly affected by torrential rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh regions.

Images courtesy: ACF-Pakistan, M. Mechmache

“Action Against Hunger’s teams are fully engaged in responding to the urgent needs of families sheltering in temporary camps or returning to their villages in both the north and south of the country,” said Mohamed Mechmache, Emergency Coordinator for Action Against Hunger’s programmes in Pakistan.

Flood water in northern and central Pakistan is gradually receding, leaving considerable damage. The flooding has now reached the south of the country, including the region of Thatta, in the Sindh province, where Action Against Hunger is one of few humanitarian organisations present. The Indus river has spilled over its banks, leaving fields and entire villages buried in muddy water.

During the first six months, Action Against Hunger will focus on providing access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene to prevent water-related illnesses like cholera and acute diarrhea. Action Against Hunger has begun organising daily distributions of 32,000 litres of drinking water through a range of methods, including water trucking, the installation of pumps and portable reservoirs, and the restoration of some 100 water points and damaged irrigation systems. Its teams will also construct 600 emergency latrines, hand-washing stations, and showers to help ensure sanitary conditions in camps for the displaced, and in nearby villages.

To meet basic hygiene needs, Action Against Hunger has begun distributing 7,500 kits containing essential items like buckets, soap, detergent, sanitary pads, and water purification tablets. In conjunction with these distributions, we are training families on effective emergency hygiene practices to reduce the risk of water-borne illnesses and is launching programs to spray affected areas with insecticide and clear them of dangerous debris.

During initial assessments, Action Against Hunger identified individuals and families whose assets and livelihoods were destroyed by the floods. “The men have returned first to evaluate the damage, and they are now being joined by their families. Some have lost everything, including their seeds, their crops, their livestock, and other sources of income,” explained Mechmache.

Action Against Hunger’s “cash for work” and fresh food voucher programmes will provide financial support to more than 10,000 affected families, helping restore their ability to feed themselves in the months to come. The most vulnerable households will also receive cooking utensils, blankets, sheets, mosquito nets, and mattresses.

Action Against Hunger launched its very first humanitarian intervention 30 years ago for Afghan refugees who crossed into Pakistan. In the 1990s, we returned to the country to address food and water insecurity across its southern and western provinces. More recently, Action Against Hunger recently provided emergency assistance after the 2005 earthquake and the 2007 flooding in Sindh province.