Provision of drinking water for the villages of Bersavy and Birstek

Description

The project for the construction of wells in the villages of Birstek and Bersavy reflects the critical situation with a lack of drinking water in the villages that, since 2014, have hosted communities of internally displaced persons (IDPs) who fled from the terror of the so-called Islamic State/Deash. Despite the defeat of Daesh in 2017, Iraq is still in the phase of gradual reconstruction of the country, which is complicated by political, security, social and economic instability. In addition, the situation was greatly complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the decision of local authorities to gradually close the existing IDP camps, where people still live who have nowhere to return to, because their homes and cities have been destroyed and they do not have the means to rebuild them. In the event that IDP camps are closed, it is therefore highly likely that their inhabitants will seek refuge in municipalities that have already accepted IDPs in the past, which will further increase the burden on their water infrastructure. The provision of drinking water in the villages of Birstek and Bersavy represents the creation of capacities for easy and stable access to a sufficient amount of drinking water for all inhabitants of the villages - including women, children and IDP communities (SDG 5). In the context of Iraq, which is significantly affected by the lack of drinking water, municipalities will have suitable conditions for their development and at the same time possible tension between the host and IDP communities will be avoided. The project includes anti-pandemic measures aimed at reducing the spread of the Covid-19 virus, as well as training for the protection of water resources and the use of drinking water in the cultivation and breeding activities of the inhabitants of the municipalities (SDG 13). Sufficient drinking water "from the tap" will also reduce the production of waste in the form of disposable plastic packaging, in which the inhabitants of the village currently buy the missing drinking water (SDG 13).