Fifteen days after the earthquake that caused severe destruction in the south of the country and made access to drinking water difficult for those affected, ASB, a German humanitarian organization, has begun distributing drinking water to the residents of St Louis du Sud and Tiburon. Thanks to the Sky Hydrant filter, which purifies water regardless of its quality, hundreds of families have regular access to drinking water in these two communities, which were severely affected by the devastating earthquake on 14 August.
After a natural disaster, access to quality water is usually a crucial need. The people affected by the earthquake on 14 August, which killed several thousand people in the south of the country, are facing this difficult reality. Several communes in the South department, already facing water shortages, saw their situation worsen after the earthquake. Faced with this situation, ASB decided to provide support in the two communes where it operates with its local partners: the Coopérative Agricole des Planteurs de St Louis (CAPSL) and the Fédération des Organisations pour le Développement de Tiburon (FéODTI).
After training technicians in filter management and maintenance, ASB, its partners, and the municipalities of St Louis du Sud and Tiburon began distributing water in the communal sections of St Louis and Tiburon on Friday 27 August. Since then, hundreds of families have benefited from access to quality water and thousands of liters of water have been distributed. For these households, this action is a great relief, as it has been difficult to find this vital resource since the tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in the three worst-hit departments.
Florence Jeantiné, from the 2nd Baie Dumesle section of St Louis, says that this distribution of treated water has come at just the right time. She has personally suffered from the lack of water and had to take her child to hospital after drinking contaminated water. She, therefore, hopes that this action will continue until the government provides a more sustainable response to the crisis. Jude Louezi, a young man living in the same section, is also delighted to see that the organization has thought of them, as he feels that his area has still not received any assistance from the relevant authorities. He praised the orderly manner in which everything was carried out, with respect for everyone’s dignity.
The mayor of the city of St Louis shares the same opinion and says he is ready to collaborate with ASB because this initiative respects the environment and prevents the proliferation of water sachets, which he believes represents a serious ecological threat. With the Sky Hydrant device, which filters and purifies water from wells, springs, and rivers, the population is supplied with water in a way that respects others and is no longer dependent on the sachets and bottles of water distributed to victims. He advocates the installation of Sky Hydrant in the eight communal sections where the needs are considerable.
ASB is currently using a mobile and transportable version of the device, moving it from one water point to another, i.e. from one area to another. The six purification machines were generously donated by ASB partner Arche Nova, and brought from Germany during a visit by two emergency experts. They were flown free of charge from Santo Domingo to Les Cayes, Haiti, by Sunrise Airways, which is contributing to the humanitarian response. The Sky Hydrant is a device designed in Australia to make all types of water drinkable.
