Water and Community Physical Infrastructure

Water and Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) plays a pivotal role in development. In keeping with IET’s participatory approach to development process the program identifies, prioritizes and implements projects with prior consultation of communities through Community Organisations (CO). This community ownership is integral to sustained development. The communities are also responsible for maintenance of operations.

Water

Pakistan is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. Inefficient irrigation systems in main agricultural systems have caused a drop in groundwater levels in coastal areas as well as raising salinity levels. This has had a negative impact upon agriculture in this region. The provision of drinking water has also been adversely affected requiring water to be provided through tankers, which are a costly solution to the problem, one that these communities can ill-afford, as well as being unreliable in terms of hygiene causing the spread of water borne diseases such as diarrhoea.

By taking a two-pronged approach to water provision; as a means of income support/generation and as a basic human health need, IET projects give both areas priority. These projects are meant to be self-sustainable through their use of simple technologies and their emphasis on human capital as means of production. Through the implementation of the various projects, IET hopes to create a permanent system of water provision for a variety of community needs.

Hand Water Pumps- bringing water within reach of villagers

Hand Pumps

Hand pumps have replaced the extraction of water from deep wells, which in the old days were implemented by rope and buckets. The hand pump is easier and safer to use so that village communities can even have children work the pump. This technology has speeded up the collection of water by women, thereby enabling them to have more time to dedicate to other tasks.

Water Supply Schemes (overhead schemes)

These interventions work to facilitate extraction of water from ground or wells conveniently. IET has supplied solar pumps with a 15-foot high overhead tank for wells dug by communities. Water is then pumped to the overhead tank from where gravity feed supply then carries water to villages. IET has also constructed several ground level storage water tanks with extraction taps. Village communities use storage tanks as the center of water collection.

Water reservoirs

These water reservoirs are rain water collection ponds. IET has built 26 such reservoirs that provide sufficient clean water to the respective communities for a period of 6 months after the rain fall.

Link Roads

Link roads are vital to provide adequate access to villages so that they can communicate with the nearest town for essential services.

A number of our projects have been implemented in partnership with various partner organisations like PPAF, UNDP and Coca Cola.

Figures below presents our interventions to date in the Water and CPI program.

Type of Project Projects completed
Solar Home & Street Lighting Projects 51
Drinking Water Supply Schemes – DWSS 150
Flood Protective Works 32
Link Roads 12
Land Development 62
Water Course Lining 18
Micro Irrigation Systems 30
Sanitation 65
Rain Water Harvesting 15
Culverts 9
Check Dams (Gabion) 15
Total 459