WASH Services in Tehsil Tunsa of District Dera Ghazi Khan, Punjab
1st November 2010 To 15th February 2011

The monsoon floods of 2010 in Pakistan paralysed the weak infrastructure of the country and left millions of people homeless with no resources. As in every emergency the poor hygiene and sanitation and scarcity of clean drinking water cause hundreds of thousands of people to lose their lives to diarrhea and other preventable diseases. To overcome this risk and contribute to improved health conditions of the flood affected population in the southern Punajab’s poorest area FRD started activities of supplying clean drinking water through water trucking in various villages of UC Nari, Mor Jhangi, Tibbi and Fateh Khan with support from ERF (Emergency Response Fund). Simultaneously working on rehabilitation of communal drinking water sources started. The rehabilitation of communal drinking water sources many times resulted in installation of new hand pumps due to improvement in site of the hand pump. In addition to improvement in drinking water quality FRD engaged a team of enthusiastic male and female hygiene promoters to contribute to positive behaviour change with regard to personal and communal hygiene. The hygiene promoters carried out hygiene promotion sessions on household level, neighbourhood and schools level. To assist the flood affected population in observing personal hygiene and communal hygiene 4,000 family hygiene kits were distributed among the poorest of the poor families in the selected area, family hygiene kits included Bathing soaps, bathing mugs, Towels, Toilet Mug (Lota) water collection/storage jerry cans, laundry soap, tooth brushes, tooth pastes, Sanitary pads for girls and women and water purification tablets on household level. 100% women headed households in the selected area were assisted.

The project assisted more than 28,800 individuals in the area out of which about 14,976 are women and girls.