Urgent needs assessment

In July, 2007, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) conducted an assessment of the condition of water, sanitation and hygiene in three villages and four internally-displaced persons camps in the south Mudug region of Somalia. This drought-prone area, which already hosted some 40,000 people displaced by fighting in the early 1990s, has seen an influx of an additional 60,000 internally displaced people since January 2007.

The assessments were conducted in the towns of Gaalkacyo and Garowe in the Puntland State of Somalia and in Marere in the Middle Juba region of Central/South Somalia. The assessments were completed with the assistance of state authorities, traditional and clan elders, religious leaders, village committees, and internally displaced people.

The assessment found that households in these areas had access to an average of just 5 liters of water per day. Only 54 percent of households had access to clean drinking water containers, and just 29 percent had access to a latrine. Almost a quarter of the households - 23 percent - reported having at least one case of diarrhea in the two weeks before the survey was taken.

Environmental health

The IRC's initial efforts are focused on providing people with clean water and safe sanitation. The IRC is distributing latrines and rehabilitating hand-dug wells that will provide safe, accessible drinking water to more than 2,400 families, or 14,400 people.
By making sure the wells are dug sufficiently deep and are not contaminated safer and cleaner water can be pumped.

IRC staff members are also training community volunteers in how to use simple, effective methods to improve health - for example, by boiling drinking water and washing hands at key times.

Partners

The IRC works closely with the Somalia NGO Consortium, the Somali Support Secretariat, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and other implementing agencies.

The IRC last worked in Somalia in 1995 and in Somaliland in 2003.