ICRC implements water and habitat projects in villages of Shida Kartli

On November 27 the official handover ceremony of 2 water projects implemented in the villages of Shindisi and Pkhvenisi took place in Shindisi. The projects were defined and implemented by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in close collaboration with the Embassy of Italy and the East Water Company.

Within the framework of both projects two 100m boreholes were sunk and equipped with submersible pumps (12m3/h and 9m3/h accordingly), a total of more than 5,500 m of pipes was laid down and 48 tap stands installed.

Another project was implemented earlier in the village of Mereti, where the existing water supply system was reinforced by drilling a borehole, fixing a pump and laying some 200m of pipes to connect the borehole with the existing water tank. Three similar projects are currently being undertaken in the villages of Sakasheti, Ditsi and Brotsleti. These projects are due to be completed by February 2010.

In the IDPs settlement of Metekhi the ICRC has built individual shower rooms and toilets for the newly constructed IDP houses. As a result of all of these projects, some 7,000 people have better access to clean water and improved sanitary conditions. The total cost of all the abovementioned water projects implemented by the ICRC in Shida Kartli this year is USD 635,000

"Even in peacetime millions of people throughout the world have difficulty gaining access to clean drinking water, proper housing and decent sanitation. This problem is further compounded in wartime. Thus, as water and shelter are so essential to survival, ensuring access to them is one of the priorities for our organisation," said Ariane Tombet, head of the ICRC Delegation in Georgia.

The ICRC's water and habitat programmes aim to ensure that victims of armed conflicts have access to drinking water and adequate shelter and that the most vulnerable are protected from diseases caused by a lack of hygiene. Based on experience acquired over the past 16 years in Georgia the ICRC continues to carry out repairs to several Collective Centres in Tbilisi, Gori and in western Georgia, reinforcing shelter for thousands of displaced persons, and to help the local water committees restore water infrastructures.