As I have visited tsunami-damaged areas of Samoa over the past two-and-a-half-weeks, one of the strongest impressions has been the need for water.
When the tsunami came on 29 September, it took away many things – people’s lives, their homes and livelihoods, their possessions, their safety and their sense of normality. Children – the most vulnerable members of any community – were particularly hard hit, with many still experiencing the emotional after affects.
All of these affects are well known now, but lack of water and its impact on families is less obvious. People need water for so many things. Safe, clean water is essential for drinking and food preparation. Water is also needed for washing – keeping one’s body clean as well as doing the laundry – for flushing the toilet, and for washing hands after using the toilet and before eating.
One of the immediate affects of the tsunami was that the water supply was disrupted and in many places water simply stopped flowing out of the tap. The loss of access to safe water increases the likelihood of people contracting and spreading diarrhoeal diseases. Children under five are particularly vulnerable to dehydration due to their small body size. For them, fluid loss can cause deadly electrolyte imbalances.
The emergency response has involved a mixture of prevention and the availability of treatment supplies where needed. Prevention is achieved through provision of clean water, soap for handwashing, toilets, and promotion of good hygiene practices.
After the tsunami, relief agencies were quick to provide temporary water supplies either in containers or street delivery by water tankers. UNICEF has been supporting the tankering of water to communities lacking their own supply. This is a short-term solution, but it has been absolutely essential in the aftermath of the disaster.
CocaCola NZ and Air NZ have partnered with UNICEF to fly in 2,000 bottles of drinking water. These bottles will be distributed children at tsunami-affected schools.
UNICEF has also provided thousands of 10-litre collapsible containers that families can use to store water, with supplies of water purification tablets available as needed.
Global Handwashing Day — celebrated around the world earlier this month – highlighted that handwashing with soap and water is one of the most affordable and effective interventions to prevent needless deaths of children under the age of five. It helps reduces diarrhoea-related deaths by more than 40 per cent and cases of acute respiratory disease by about 25 per cent.
According to a just released UNICEF and World Health Organisation report, diarrhoea is the second leading killer of children. Nearly one in five children under the age of five dies as a result of dehydration, weakened immunity or malnutrition associated with diarrhoea.
This is why UNICEF has distributed thousands of bars of soap and key hygiene messages aimed at children such as the importance of handwashing.
On the treatment side, oral rehydration salts (ORS) have been made available. ORS – a powder of sugar, salt and electrolyte — treats the dehydration resulting from diarrhoea and can prevent diarrhoeal death.
The local authorities have been repairing broken water pipes as fast as possible, but issues remain. One family I visited had had their water supply restored, but were worried that it might not be safe to drink so were boiling it before drinking. This was not as easy as it sounds, because they had to boil it over an open fire and that takes time. Other families have relocated to higher ground – too fearful to remain near the coast — where there may not be any existing water facilities to repair.
Apart from meeting the immediate needs, UNICEF is also looking to the longer term to help provide a sustainable water supply for the community.
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Safe water vital for life in tsunami-hit Samoa
As I have visited tsunami-damaged areas of Samoa over the past two-and-a-half-weeks, one of the strongest impressions has been the need for water.
When the tsunami came on 29 September, it took away many things – people’s lives, their homes and livelihoods, their possessions, their safety and their sense of normality. Children – the most vulnerable members of any community – were particularly hard hit, with many still experiencing the emotional after affects.
All of these affects are well known now, but lack of water and its impact on families is less obvious. People need water for so many things. Safe, clean water is essential for drinking and food preparation. Water is also needed for washing – keeping one’s body clean as well as doing the laundry – for flushing the toilet, and for washing hands after using the toilet and before eating.
One of the immediate affects of the tsunami was that the water supply was disrupted and in many places water simply stopped flowing out of the tap. The loss of access to safe water increases the likelihood of people contracting and spreading diarrhoeal diseases. Children under five are particularly vulnerable to dehydration due to their small body size. For them, fluid loss can cause deadly electrolyte imbalances.
The emergency response has involved a mixture of prevention and the availability of treatment supplies where needed. Prevention is achieved through provision of clean water, soap for handwashing, toilets, and promotion of good hygiene practices.
After the tsunami, relief agencies were quick to provide temporary water supplies either in containers or street delivery by water tankers. UNICEF has been supporting the tankering of water to communities lacking their own supply. This is a short-term solution, but it has been absolutely essential in the aftermath of the disaster.
CocaCola NZ and Air NZ have partnered with UNICEF to fly in 2,000 bottles of drinking water. These bottles will be distributed children at tsunami-affected schools.
UNICEF has also provided thousands of 10-litre collapsible containers that families can use to store water, with supplies of water purification tablets available as needed.
Global Handwashing Day — celebrated around the world earlier this month – highlighted that handwashing with soap and water is one of the most affordable and effective interventions to prevent needless deaths of children under the age of five. It helps reduces diarrhoea-related deaths by more than 40 per cent and cases of acute respiratory disease by about 25 per cent.
According to a just released UNICEF and World Health Organisation report, diarrhoea is the second leading killer of children. Nearly one in five children under the age of five dies as a result of dehydration, weakened immunity or malnutrition associated with diarrhoea.
This is why UNICEF has distributed thousands of bars of soap and key hygiene messages aimed at children such as the importance of handwashing.
On the treatment side, oral rehydration salts (ORS) have been made available. ORS – a powder of sugar, salt and electrolyte — treats the dehydration resulting from diarrhoea and can prevent diarrhoeal death.
The local authorities have been repairing broken water pipes as fast as possible, but issues remain. One family I visited had had their water supply restored, but were worried that it might not be safe to drink so were boiling it before drinking. This was not as easy as it sounds, because they had to boil it over an open fire and that takes time. Other families have relocated to higher ground – too fearful to remain near the coast — where there may not be any existing water facilities to repair.
Apart from meeting the immediate needs, UNICEF is also looking to the longer term to help provide a sustainable water supply for the community.
Support our Samoa Emergency Appeal