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QRCS Supports Water Projects in Yemen [EN/AR]

Países
Yemen
Fuentes
Qatar Red Crescent
Fecha de publicación

January 18th, 2021 ― Doha: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) announced Sunday that it recently launched a new project to dig wells and rehabilitate water projects in Yemen. About 120,000 people will benefit from it in five governorates Taiz, Dhale, Saada, Hajjah, and Raymah, at a total cost of $1,097,870.

In a statement, QRCS said that this project came to expand access to clean drinking water and to meet the needs of the most vulnerable communities in Yemen as well as providing more support to service institutions so that it can provide the minimum services and avoid the collapse due to weak capabilities and resources available.

During the inauguration ceremony of the project in Taiz Governorate, representative of the committee in Dabaa Al-Dakhil of Al-Shamayatayn District, Mamoun Abdul-Karim Mohamed, said, "We thank QRCS for its intervention and response to the humanitarian need of the people in Dabaa Al-Dakhil. We are rehabilitating the Al-Lus Well, with support from the people in Qatar, and about 1,000 people will benefit from it. As planned, the well will be deepened, maintained, and connected to a local water supply system, to alleviate the suffering of the people, especially with the scarcity of water in the winter season".

The project’s manager, Eng. Younis Al-Ariqi, said they would carry out the drilling and rehabilitation works for 53 manual wells, in addition to installing solar pumps, building and rehabilitating 15 50-m3 water tanks, and rehabilitating another 73 wells. The needs will be provided as a contribution from QRCS.

The manual wells in the Yemeni countryside are 25-30 meters in depth. Only some of these are potable water, while many others have salty water, especially in coastal areas.

Water projects in rural areas have been suspended due to the increasing numbers of displaced people fleeing the conflict areas to the countryside, successive pump breakdowns in artesian wells, worn-out and damaged pipes, inadequate amounts of water, and higher prices of oil products amid an economic crisis.

According to the UN annual needs document 2019, more than half of Yemen's districts are in urgent need of support in relation to sanitation, and more than 55% of the population in 197 districts have no access to sources of purified water.

With limited access to safe drinking water, local communities resort to unsafe sources. Only 24% of families process water at home. The response focuses on supporting the infrastructure and rehabilitating the existing water and sanitation networks, to prevent the spread of epidemic diseases such as cholera, diphtheria, dengue fever, and scabies.

QRCS had previously completed a similar project for digging manual wells and rehabilitating water projects, with a total of 34 manual wells in eight districts of Taiz and Al-Hudaydah. The project cost $400,000, funded by the donations of the benevolent people of Qatar, for the benefit of about 35,000 people.

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About Qatar Red Crescent (QRCS)

Established in 1978, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is a humanitarian volunteering organization that aims to assist and empower vulnerable individuals and communities without partiality or discrimination.

QRCS is a member of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, which consists of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and 191 National Societies. QRCS is also a member of several GCC, Arab, and Islamic organizations, such as the Islamic Committee of International Crescent and the Arab Red Crescent and Red Cross Organization (ARCO). In this legally recognized capacity, QRCS has access to disaster and conflict zones, thus serving as an auxiliary to the State of Qatar in its humanitarian efforts — a role that distinguishes it from other local charities and NGOs. QRCS operates both locally and internationally and has ongoing international relief and development projects in a number of countries throughout the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. QRCS's humanitarian actions include providing support in disaster preparedness, disaster response, risk reduction, and disaster recovery. To mitigate the impact of disasters and improve the livelihoods of affected populations, QRCS provides medical services, healthcare, and social development to local communities. It is also active at the humanitarian advocacy front. With the help of a vast network of trained, committed staff and volunteers, QRCS aspires to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. QRCS works under the umbrella of the seven international humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality