SPONSOR A VILLAGE WATER SCHEME FOR $10,000
A SUSTAINABLE WATER INITIATIVE IN TIMOR-LESTE AIMED AT DECREASING CHILDHOOD & ELDERLY MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY.
According to the United Nations Human Development Index, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste is among the poorest countries in Asia. The per capita income was US$ 460 in 2002 and more than 40% of the population live below the poverty line, with significant variations between districts. The United Nations estimates that only 20% of the population have access to safe water and only 15% to life sustaining sanitation facilities.
Suffering even more greatly is the remote Island of Atauro, located 30km off the coast of Dili. The Island has been historically under-serviced, when compared to nation-wide Timor-Leste standards, Atauro is even further disadvantaged than the already under-serviced mainland districts. The most significant short-falls on the island are the lack of suitable water and sanitation. Atauro’s remoteness and isolation from the mainland is a major contributing factor to this inferiority.
The Need:
In most rural areas of Timor-Leste there are few functioning toilets and limited safe drinking water supplies. Lack of safe water, sanitation and inadequate hygiene are major contributors to the high rate of deaths of children under five in Timor-Leste. Unsafe water and inadequate hygiene are leading factors in water related diseases such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Households rely on unprotected water sources which are nearly impossible to make safe for drinking.
There is a urgent need for potable water solutions on Atauro Island. Ataruo, which has limited water sources, now has the potential for serious health issues arising from a substandard water project and poor management plan undertaken by a Donor Government to pipe water to villages from a central supply. There was no plan to ensure that much needed water supply system delivered safe water. The central supply is either contaminated or has high the potential to become contaminated. The central supply tank requires major works to be disinfected. UNDESA believe the current water conditions will not be resolved using chemical addition (chlorine) alone. The site of the catchment tank is located 3 km by foot in rugged terrain from the nearest village. The local authority involved has limited ability to ensure adequate sanitation of the water system occurs. Individual villages which are fed by the central catchment tank will effectively receive contaminated water. The potential exists for serious preventable health risk to vulnerable groups especially children and the elderly due to diahorrea and hence dehydration and possible mortality is a real concern.
The Project: Safe Water Project - Atauro Island:
The most sustainable solution is to install water filtration units at the villages where secondary distribution tanks are located. With AAI’s Community Engagement process and the use of SkyHydrant™water filtration units, SkyHydrants™can be installed and maintained by the community to provide the beneficiaries with a safe and clean water supply even though the central supply system remains contaminated. The SkyHydrant™ water filtration unit utilises a unique low cost Australian design (manufactured in Sydney) that delivers safe potable water which exceeds WHO safe water standards. SkyHydrands™are economical, compact, robust, easy to transport and ideal for remote locations. The filtration process does not require chemicals or power and there are no moving parts during the filtration process – therefore there are virtually no ongoing costs. Notionally, the SkyHydrant will produce up to 1000 litres of safe water per hour depending upon the feed water, which will be abundant for the communities’ requirements. 
An example of a Skyjuice water plant in Sri Lanka.
Outcomes:
The Safe Water Project will supply an entire communities with safe potable water. Access to safe potable water can dramatically reduce the incidence of water borne illnesses and respiratory related problems.
AAI will participate with the community to develop a community action plan to provide safe water to selected villages. The community will select a community water management committee in the village. The committee will be trained by AAI staff in the installation, operation and maintenance of the SkyHydrant™ water filtration unit. With a suitable Community Engagement process a water management committee will be able to sustainably maintain the system. Adequate maintenance in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions will ensure that the SkyHydrant™ will operate efficiently for the optimum period of up to 10 years.
This simple process of providing SkyHydrant™water filtration, with an accompanying Community Engagement initiative, will provide a sustainable water solution to many families and will offer safe water to communities who are currently living without the benefits of access to a safe and sustainable water supply.
Budget:
Cost of Safe Water Project per village $10,000
The budget includes the cost of the water filtration unit and all other costs of ancillary equipment, maintenance, training, education, support and management by AAI. As AAI have significant long term projects in the area we will be able to provide follow up support and supervision to ensure that communities continue to maintain the safe water project and to ensure sustainability.
Australian Aid International (“AAI”) is an international non-profit, non-government organisation committed to mitigating the double burden of poverty and poor access to quality health care in regions where health systems have collapsed. AAI regards health as a fundamental human right. Our goal is for this right to be realised in some of the most remote and dangerous regions in the world and we target those communities with the greatest needs. By promoting partnerships with local communities, capacity building of existing infrastructures, and by providing other humanitarian aid initiatives. AAI focus on underserved and vulnerable populations and individuals that may not ordinarily enjoy assistance from governments or other international organisations.
We would be pleased to answer an questions regarding the sponsor a village project. For further information and expressions of interest, please contact
Frank Tyler, Director of Operations
Tel: +61 (0) 425 793 674
ftyler@aai.org.au |
