Bringing water to the desert in Jordan

Friday, June 14, 2013

The continuous stream of Syrians seeking refuge in Jordan (and other nearby countries) continues to grow. Zaatari, the main refugee camp in the Jordan has grown so quickly in the last year, it would be the fifth largest city in the country. 

As a result, the international community is working hard to create additional accommodations in another camp, called Azraq, set to open at the end of the month. 

The camp is designed to house 130,000 people. World Vision is working hard to install water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) infrastructure that will serve the camp’s first 30,000 inhabitants. 

The following information is from an interview between Chris Huber, writer for the World Vision magazine and Mike Bailey, World Vision’s communication manager for the Syria crisis response, based in Jordan. 

CH: What is it World Vision is trying to do?

MB: We have responsibility for WASH in the camp areas where the first 31,000 refugees will be housed.

CH: How long will it take to be ready?

MB: We expect refugees to start arriving at the end of the month, so the first installations need to be completed by then. We will then continue to work on other parts of our two villages, adding the infrastructure in anticipation of additional refugees. It will be a race to get everything built as people move in. Once this segment is done, we hope to move on to other areas of the camp where further villages will be built next. 

CH: How is WASH infrastructure installed, in relation to other needs of the refugees?

MB: The WASH is the first bit because it is in the ground - then the accommodation is built on top.

CH: What goes into the WASH infrastructure?

MB: We are getting concrete septic tanks made. The first ones will be ready in two weeks. At the same time, we will start installing ten 95,000-litre water tanks on the top of a slope on which the villages will be built. We will put in pipes to take the water to tap stands, where the refugees will be able to access the water. 

CH: What goes into providing WASH infrastructure for more than 30,000?

MB:

2,600 Septic tanks

5,200 shower and toilet slabs

10 – 95,000 litre water tanks

11 km of water pipe

140 community water taps (access points) 

CH: What are the logistical challenges of installing WASH facilities in a camp located in the middle of the desert?

MB: The challenges include getting 2,600 concrete septic tanks, each the size of a small car, made and transported without breaking over 80 km of bumpy road; digging six-food deep holes for each one in stony desert on a sloping site, where the wind can blow at gale force. On top of that, the camp is located 20 km from the nearest town in an area where daytime temperatures regularly top 30 centigrade. 

CH: Once WASH facilities are installed, how does WV maintain the systems? Is there any training of refugees?

MB: Yes we will do WASH training and the community will maintain their facilities. We will do repairs and there will be contractors (not WV) to bring the water daily and regularly empty the septic tanks.

CH: What makes World Vision's approach different?

MB: We take a professional approach, pay attention to detail, bring our expertise from responses all round the world. Our faith gives us purpose, energy and a sense of shared purpose. And, our focus on children and their needs as our guiding principle helps us keep clear about what we are doing and why.