Water and sanitation: quenching thirst and restoring dignity
09-03-2012 Photo gallery
Over 780 million people have no clean water. 2.5 billion have no toilet or latrine. Safe water and adequate sanitation are vital for people affected by conflict and it is intolerable when conflict deprives people of this essential element. The ICRC is helping provide water and sanitation for over 20 million people in 48 countries affected by conflict, violence, or their after-effects.As well as preventing disease, safe water and decent sanitation can restore a measure of dignity to people suffering the effects of conflict.
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Only a third of Goma has running water, with the remaining two-thirds of the population fetching water from Lake Kivu every day, or from private water trucks. The ICRC, in partnership with Mercy Corps, is renovating Goma’s water system, building and renovating pumping stations, and laying new pipes throughout the city.
A team from the Red Cross Society of Côte d'Ivoire and the ICRC measures the volume of water in a well during a chlorination campaign following flooding.