As temperatures rise in Iraq, water needs become more urgent

As numbers of internally-displaced people (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq increase from half a million in January 2014 to more than three million in July 2015 (IOM), the need for efficient water, sanitation and hygiene services (WASH) has become more urgent. Lack of funding has left many projects facing uncertainly, leaving millions braving the heat and more vulnerable to public health risks.

“We have targeted for our projects to have started as early as January 2015 to prepare for the summer but it was tough to find the funding,” World Vision’s WASH Manager Hani Chatila said.

The humanitarian community fears outbreaks of diseases could worsen the already miserable conditions in the IDP camps.

Iraq’s Humanitarian Response Plan released last June 2015 warned that 7.1 million people would need WASH assistance with 4.1 million in critical need going through the summer. If continuously unaddressed, the humanitarian community fears outbreaks of diseases could worsen the already miserable conditions in the IDP camps. Currently, Erbil and Duhok Governorates host more than 700,000 IDPs, threatening water shortages and potential tensions with host communities.

Earlier the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq, Lise Grande, warned of the inadequate water and sanitation systems in the country as the influx of IDPs rises, meaning a heightened risk of public health emergencies.

World Vision’s Chatila has repeatedly campaigned for support for a long-term WASH program: “These people will be in the camps for an undetermined period. Our long-term solution is to strengthen WASH infrastructure that will improve supply and ensure that waterborne and hygiene-related outbreaks are minimized or prevented,” he added.

When temperatures reached close to 50 degress this week, IDPs had no option but to bear the heat in tents and caravans.

When temperatures reached close to 50 degrees this week, alarm rose among residents and IDPs. A four-day holiday was declared by the government last week to keep people inside their homes and out of the sun. For the IDPs, there was no option but to bear the heat inside tents and caravans, with just a lucky few able to secure cooling.

World Vision is currently helping rehabilitate a water facility in Duhok that will improve the water supply for more than 40,000 people in Khanke camp and its host communities. The construction work on the project, in partnership with the Ministry of Water of Duhok, is currently ongoing and should be completed by November 2015. Khanke is home to more than 18,000 IDPs, mostly coming from Mosul.