Providing Emergency WASH support to reduce the risk of populations affected by potential drought from being displaced in Sar-e-Pul, Badakhshan, Faryab, Kunduz and Takhar and supporting those already displaced in Kunduz Forty years of war, recurrent natural disasters, increasing poverty, and COVID-19 are devastating the people of Afghanistan. During the second half of 2020, a moderate to strong La Niña phenomenon was registered that is causing extreme weather conditions in various parts of the world, including Afghanistan, that has been experiencing below-average rainfall and snowfall since October 2020. In a country that already experiences high levels of water scarcity, this event is expected to have dramatic humanitarian consequences, while the country is hardly starting to recover from the 2018-2019 drought. This may mean there is a reduction in water availability for the winter wheat crop cycle (cultivation in spring) a reduction in rangeland production negatively affecting livestock and higher risk of avalanches (in the highlands) and other types of hazards associated with warmer temperatures during winter. While COVID-19 strengthened the need for access to hygiene facilities, 12.8 million people are expected to be in need of WASH assistance in 2021 (Humanitarian Response Plan 2021). These current negative developments are putting additional pressures and pushing the financially poor households at risk of experiencing negative coping strategies, including forced displacement.

In this context, this proposed 6-month intervention aims to provide WASH services to 46,900 individuals in 24 districts across 5 provinces : Faryab (Pashtonkut, Almar, Dwalatabad, Qaisar and Qaramqool districts), Sar-e-Pol (Sar-e-Pol, Sancharak, Sozma Qala, Gosfandi and Sayad districts) and Kunduz (Khanabad, Dasht-e-Archi, Qala-e-Zal, Aliabad, Imam Sahib and Kunduz), Badakhshan (Argo, Kishem and Shahr-e-Bozorg districts) and Takhar (Khowja-Bahawddin, Rustaq, Taloqan, Hazar Sumuch and Chall districts).

In line with the WASH cluster priorities and with the Spring Disaster Contingency Plan, ACTED will prioritize the rehabilitation of 240 boreholes and 6 spring catchments, benefiting to 6,450 households (46,900 people), while promoting water treatment at household level. While one of the indirect objectives of the project is to prevent people from being forcibly displaced by providing them with access to safe drinking water, the intervention will also target 250 already displaced households people living in ISETs in Kunduz district, and provide them with hygiene kits and gender and disability sensitive latrines. Throughout the implementation, ACTED will contribute to an Early Warning System by conducting ongoing monitoring on water points in all 24 districts of intervention, and disseminating the message via radio, as prioritized by the WASH cluster, as well as by preferred means identified by the communities. To strengthen the positive effect of the intervention, all beneficiaries of all activities will receive hygiene sessions, in order to promote handwashing, good hygiene practices and household water treatment.

In line with WHO recommended measures and MoPH’s official guidance, every activity implemented under the project will be strictly adapted in relation to COVID-19 context and mitigation measures and all staff involved will receive awareness sessions on COVID-19. ACTED will use the opportunity of community mobilization and outreach to disseminate key messages on COVID-19 and on basic mitigation measures. ACTED’s staff is trained and has experience on awareness raising and notably on how to tackle misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine. ACTED long-standing presence in the districts of intervention and the fact that the staff is hired as much as possible from the very same area of intervention are two key elements that will help tailor the message to the communities.