The Pakistan Red Crescent (PRC) Sindh with the support of Canadian Red Cross (CRC) is installing 10 solar power water pumps under the project “Provision of Solar Powered Water Pumps with Hygiene Promotion in District Tharparkar, Sindh”. The proposed project aims to provide safe drinking water by using alternative energy to improve health, hygiene and the overall well-being of villagers.
A delegation of CRC visited the selected villages with the team of PRC Sindh that included CRC Program Manager (Pak /Afg) Ms. Jennifer Olson, CRC Program Officer (Pak /Afg) Ms. Andrea Peters, CRC Country Representative in Pakistan Dr M. Khalid, and PRC-NHQ Secretary General Ghulam Muhammad Awan and PRC-Sindh Provincial Secretary Kanwar Waseem.
Secretary General Ghulam Muhammad Awan said that Tharparkar comprises of an area of 22,000 square kilometers with a population of more than 1.4 million and about 5 million livestock heads. The primary source of drinking water is underground wells. Easy access to safe drinking water is an acute problem in District Tharparkar affecting the life style, health and livelihood of the local communities.
The PRC and CRC teams visited four villages including Bhar Milio, Sagror, Verijhup and Vekunja and had discussions with the local people regarding their needs and the solar pumps is a step to provide clean water to the peopl.
PRC Provincial Secretary Kanwar Waseem also said that the Solar Power Water Pump project in Thar area will prove as a land mark. In this project, PRC will empower the communities to deal with and manage common illnesses and injuries through PRC network of trained Community Based Health and First Aid (CBHFA) volunteers and staff, mobilization of local resources, and building linkages with local health institutions.