ISLAMABAD: In order to improve the community health in Pakistan and make access to clean drinking water possible, Qatar Charity (QC) implemented 1,079 water projects in Pakistan in 2017, reported a Qatar media outlet.
QC is an international non-profit and non-governmental humanitarian organization founded in the State of Qatar in 1980 and was introduced to the humanitarian scene in Pakistan early 1992.
These projects benefited more than 200,000 people in several Pakistani provinces: Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Baluchistan, according to the report.
QC office in Islamabad has implemented these projects at a cost of QR6mn which included the drilling of 859 artesian wells equipped with a hand pump, 149 artesian wells equipped with an electric pump and two bathrooms, as well as 71 deep artesian wells equipped with an electric pump and two bathrooms.
QC also constructed 220 toilets along with sinks and places for ablution under these water projects to improve sanitation conditions and reduce the risk of the spread of diseases and epidemics.
According to the director of the Qatar Charity in Pakistan, Amin Issa said that Pakistan is exposed to natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes and suffers from some conflicts from time to time. Local and international assessments have revealed the great need for water and sanitation in emergencies, as the displacement of massive population creates immediate and long-term health risks.
Issa pointed out that QC pays special attention to the water and sanitation sector and implements various projects by drilling wells and providing sanitation facilities, which make easy access to drinking water, improve the health conditions of communities, and reduce the spread of epidemics and diseases in poor areas suffering from disasters.
The charity had provided support to the victims of the floods occurred in Pakistan in 2010. It also helped people affected by heavy rains in Sindh province during 2011-2012 and other years.
QC also responded to disasters quickly due to its field offices in Pakistan and Kashmir and implemented many projects as a humanitarian response in collaboration with the key UN organisations such as Unicef, World Food Programme, and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
