Emergency Lifesaving WASH Project in Ghor and Faryab Provinces Afghanistan has suffered some of the deadliest conflicts and recurrent natural disasters for over four decades resulting in a combination of frequent shocks including, insecurity, population displacement, the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as droughts and floods. More recently with the fall of the established government to the Taliban, and the exit of foreign support and militaries previously helping to ensure stability—additional challenges are being faced. Millions of people do not have the resources to obtain enough nutritious food to lead healthy lives consistently. Conflict and armed fighting continues to expose civilians, particularly women and children, to daily risks, population displacement (leading to reduced access to WASH services and basic health care), and disease outbreaks, constraining the country’s unstable economy. Even before the collapse of the Afghanistan government, the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Afghanistan 2021, lists rural communities as having limited access to safe water supply as well as poor sanitation and hygiene practices. The same report ranks 30% of both Ghor and Faryab provinces in IPC 4 emergency with IPC projections for Nov 2021 - Mar 2022 anticipating increases of more than 20,000 and 141,000 addition people in IPC4/ IPC3 respectively in Ghor and Faryab combined.

According to the rapid drought assessment by World Vision in Badghis, Ghor, Faryab 53% and Herat 96% of communities assessed reported a drop in water levels and stated that their sources of water had dried up due to drought this year. Pressure on water sources negatively affects household water availability and hygiene practices. Poor hygiene conditions have long contributed to communicable diseases in Afghanistan, with diarrheal disease attributed to be the second most common cause of death for children under the age of five, after acute respiratory infections, which is highly attributed to limited access to basic hygiene and sanitation facilities. 

To respond to this dire situation, the proposed response will see approximately 16,520 people (4020 males, 4184 females, 4136 boys and 4180 girls) from highly affected districts in Ghor and Faryab supported with emergency lifesaving WASH assistance. Access to safe water, basic sanitation and hygiene will be improved through construction of 7 solar powered water systems (includes 02 RO systems) benefitting16,520 people (4020 males, 4184 females, 4136 boys and 4180 girls). Water quality testing and surveillance of water systems (at least 3 tests per water system), establishment and training of 7 water management committees on operation and maintenance of the systems will be done to ensure water safety as per WHO/ANSA standards and sustainability of water systems. Hygiene promotion (awareness creation sessions) and distribution of hygiene kits will also be conducted to promote good hygiene practices such as handwashing with soap coupled with COVID-19 prevention messages as a means to reduce the risk of infection for beneficiaries in target locations. 

Responding to the one of standard allocation themes (Theme 1: Expanded humanitarian access and response in underserved and hardest-to-reach locations) World Vision seeks to provide emergency lifesaving safe drinking water, improved sanitation and hygiene practices, diarrhea, AWD in some areas and malnutrition rates will decline, thus “saving lives in the areas of highest need” (HRP SO1). Provision of durable solar powered water supply networks and Reverse Osmosis systems to the target locations that are frequently exposed to drought and were affected by the recent conflict will ensure that "vulnerable people are supported to build their resilience" (HRP SO3).

This being an emergency project, will see implementation of lifesaving activities for the first 6 months ( 15 Jan to 14 July 2022) while transitioning to recovery in the next period ( 15 July to 14th of October 2022).