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Home > Tsunami Reconstruction > Project Updates > Water Initiative for Securing Health (WISH)

Water Filters for Aceh and Nias

Wednesday, 23. August 2006By Mr Adrian Yeo, Director of WISH

The Water Initiative for Securing Health (WISH) is partnering with two Indonesian humanitarian organisations to provide water filters to the people of Aceh and Nias, who have difficulty obtaining potable water due to the 2004 Tsunami Disaster. This project, costing about S$375,400, is funded by the Singapore Red Cross' Tidal Waves Asia Fund donated by the people of Singapore.

Since the Tsunami Disaster, many local residents in Aceh and Nias have been staying in shelters and camps for Internally Displaced People (IDP). To obtain drinking water, they have to draw water from the wells for boiling or purchase bottled water from vendors.

These needs were identified by the Komite Kemanusiaan Indonesia (KKI) and the Pos Keadilan Peduli Ummat (PKPU). The KKI, or Indonesia Humanitarian Committee, is a local humanitarian organisation that has been helping the poor in Sumatra even before the 2004 Tsunami. The PKPU, which stands for Justice for the People, has been working with many international NGOs to provide relief for the tsunami victims. 

Through this project, Potable Water for Tsunami Victims, a total of 30 water filters will be installed, 20 in Aceh and 10 in Nias. To date, 10 filters have been completed in the sub-districts of Aceh, namely Kuta Alam, Beurawe, Cot Surui, Neuben and Darussalam. The entire project is expected to complete by the end of October 2006. Up to 7,500 people in orphanages, villages and IDP camps will then receive a steady source of drinking water.

"The water filters, capable of removing 99.9% of the bacteria in the water, are simple to operate and maintain, and do not require electricity to run. This makes them suitable for use in rural areas in Aceh and Nias," said Adrian Yeo, Director of WISH, a Singapore NGO with the mission of providing a safe, sustainable and affordable source of drinking water to all in the Asian region by adapting suitable technology. 

"We visited a village where children had to walk up to 1km to collect a bucket of water, as there were only 2 wells in that village. The adults work as subsistence farmers. By simply erecting a water tower, and installing the proper water infrastructure, the children are able to spend their time and energy in school," said Adrian Yeo.

"The people in orphanages and refugee camps have to spend their meagre resources on purchasing water from vendors or walk long distances to collect water. With this project, the people have a safe supply of drinking water that costs them essentially nothing," said Khairul Rahmi, Co-ordinator (North Sumatra) for KKI. He added, "We are also involving our students from the University of North Sumatra to work with WISH volunteers to install the units and train the people. We thank the people of Singapore for their generosity."

Training will be provided to ensure that end-users have the technical knowledge of safe water practices. Water from these filters will be tested at the laboratories in PDAM Tirtanadi, Medan, a regionally owned water company to ensure that the water is safe for drinking at least once a year. Water infrastructure such as pipes, water towers and other equipment, as well as maintenance support, will be provided to ensure long term operation of the filters.