There was a time when people used to travel thousands of kilometers to avail access to water and that too not entirely clean and pure water. People used to carry heavy buckets of water on their backs. With time and through urbanization things changed as more roads were established and local water resources were created. However, the picture is still not different for many regions of the world. Unfortunately, there are still many places worldwide where essential such as clean and safe drinking water is not available to all. It is sad, but the bitter reality is that a significant proportion of people die due to thirst and usage of contaminated water. There is an exhaustive list of diseases and infections that are caused by dirty, contaminated water. Hence, the availability of clean and safe drinking water is a fundamental right that is essential for life.
One in three people currently lack access to clean drinking water, that is around 2.2 billion people worldwide whereas, almost 4.2 billion people are deprived of safe sanitation facilities. Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) being the global humanitarian organization has always helped humans all over the world and provided relief from suffering irrespective of gender, class, ethnicity, religion, and others. HHRD did not leave behind in ensuring the availability of clean and safe drinking water to all. HHRD has been making efforts to provide reliable, efficient, and long-term water facilities to the people.
In 2019, Helping Hand for Relief and Development (HHRD) supported around 695,000 people through its Water for Life and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programs throughout Africa as well as in Afghanistan, Nepal, Jordan, and Pakistan. Through its Water for Life and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene initiatives, HHRD is dedicated to continuously advance the United Nations’ (UN) 2030 Sustainable Development Target. HHRD’s attempts to assure the accessibility and effective maintenance of water and sanitation for all promote UN Sustainable Goal#6 “Clean Water and Sanitation.” HHRD’s water and sewage services enable people to gain access to clean and safe drinking water for everyday use and irrigation purposes through constructing and rehabilitating water supply systems.
HHRD’s Water For Life program is mainly aimed at supporting and helping rural, water shortage, and refugee areas by ensuring access to safe drinking water by installing shallow wells. HHRD’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene program help contain the spread of waterborne diseases and infections through distributing soap bars and hygiene kits in vulnerable and crisis-hit areas. Their program also includes workshops and awareness seminars in which hygiene skills are taught to children, and appropriate guidance is given about how they can keep themselves safe.
HHRD’s considerate and dedicated efforts in the water sector have provided many people with access to clean and safe water resources. However, there is still room for loads of improvement in the water supply systems to avoid contamination and integration of water pipelines with gutter lines. Soon, HHRD might be able to eradicate water, sanitation, and hygiene-related problems from its targeted regions. The global pandemic has further highlighted the importance of hygiene and clean resources.
