Provision of WASH services to the vulnerable communities in conflict affected areas in Iraq Relief International’s (RI) proposed project will provide an immediate life-saving package of comprehensive WASH assistance targeting 60,726 highly vulnerable individuals located in newly retaken and hard to reach areas of Anbar and Salahaldin governorates. RI will achieve this by responding to the urgent and most critical WASH needs of the newly displaced populations through first line and second line response, facilitating access to adequate quantities of safe, clean water, sanitation and basic hygiene supplies while also expanding coverage of water services, hygiene practices, and other essential WASH needs in at-risk communities. Activities will include provision of emergency drinking water, hygiene kits and basic sanitation services of mobile latrines and septic tanks as well promoting personal hygiene and well-being. 

In coordination with the WASH cluster and local authorities, RI will build on previous programming and target underserved and vulnerable communities focusing on in Kilo 60 of Anbar governorate, where high numbers of IDPs have already been arriving due to the recent military offenses in western Anbar. Also in Anbar, RI will target Kilo 18 based on needs and vulnerability while ensuring now overlapping or duplication of activities. In Salahaldin governorate, RI will focus on the screening points and transmission areas in Shirqat, where high influxes of extremely vulnerable and underserved IDPs have arrived as a result of the ongoing Mosul and Hawija military offenses.and will also targetthe IDP settlements in Al Alam  Typically, the IDPs who arrive at these screening points are forced to wait for long hours, and sometimes days, before receiving their security clearance by the relevant military authorities to enter the camps.

Therefore, as part of the first line intervention, RI will have emergency water trucking as well as installation of mobile latrines. RI will also install two solar panel based water purification systems at the screening points to ensure free, sustainable, drinking water for newly arrived IDPs. 

As part of the second line intervention, RI will build community mobilization networks to conduct hygiene promotion initiatives and support operation and maintenance of the water and sanitation facilities. This activity will be implemented in  IDP settlements in all four target locations. The hygiene promotion sessions will enhance the hygiene conditions and practices, particularly those related to water borne diseases and cholera outbreaks.

In addition to these activities, RI will build the capacity of local authorities and community mobilization groups in testing and monitoring water supply and water quality by providing easy to use water quality testing kits and enhancing the water monitoring mechanism and reporting. Three water testing kits (type Potatest or comparable) will be provided.

RI’s project is designed to be highly flexible and mobile in this emergency response situation to more efficiently meet the greatest needs in a rapidly changing environment. Further, this project can be rapidly scaled up as additional needs occur in the event of a spike in the crisis.