Qatar Charity builds solar-powered water station for flood victims in Pakistan

Qatar Charity (QC) has constructed a solar-powered water station in Sahar Chanhiyan, a flood-affected village in the Sanghar District of Sindh Province, Pakistan. The project is part of Qatar Charity’s ongoing interventions in the field of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in the country to protect the people from the hazards of contaminated water and provide safe and clean drinking water to vulnerable communities. Approximately 1,000 persons directly benefit from this water intervention.

The water station was constructed in Sanghar because it is one of the most affected areas by the 2022 floods, which affected over 33 million people in the country, destroyed buildings, and infrastructure, and washed away livestock.

The project has been widely welcomed and appreciated. Mr. Muhammad Ishaq Gad, Deputy Commissioner of Sanghar District said, “The project is crucial to meet the urgent need for clean drinking water, especially as the communities are still recovering from the last year’s floods”.

Mr. Wajid Ali Memon, Additional Director of the Social Welfare Department in Sanghar said, “The communities were suffering from water-related diseases and the difficulty of accessing safe and clean drinking water due to the 2022 floods. I am very thankful to Qatar Charity and the people of Qatar for providing the water facilities, particularly in the badly affected district, Sanghar, which was in dire need of safe drinking water.”

The beneficiaries also expressed their happiness with the implementation of this water project. Mr. Muhammad Sadiq said, “Now, I have access to clean water near my home, and I can spend more of my time earning a daily living.” He added, “I lost my house last year in floods and I am living with my family in a temporary shelter. The biggest problem we were facing was access to clean drinking water. We used to fetch water from two kilometers away, and the water wasn’t clean, which caused my children to have diarrhea.

Ms. Fozia Bibi said, “Due to the floods, the water in my village became contaminated. I used to carry clean drinking water from a distant area that took hours to reach. Now I am very happy that Allah has answered our prayers because Qatar Charity has built a solar water plant, which is a blessing for us. Now, I can fetch water in minutes and spend more time taking care of my children”.

It is worth mentioning that Qatar Charity has implemented around 750 water projects, including water stations, hand pumps, and solar-powered pumps, from the beginning of 2023 until June. Approximately 138,750 people in various parts of Pakistan benefit from these projects.