Guwahati, July 7: UNICEF Assam along with District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) Cachar and partner Oxfam India have installed four filtration units in flood-affected Cachar district to ensure citizens safe access to drinking water.
Two units have been set up in Katigorah revenue circle, one in Silchar town and the fourth in Sonai revenue circle.
The filtration units can produce 700 to 1000 litres of water per hour. Each unit can cater to 100-150 households (4,500-6,750 people) living within 500 metres of the unit, for basic needs such as cooking and hygiene.
“We are working closely with DDMA and PHED in planning, coordination and site identification. The running costs such as fuel, boats, etc have been borne by DDMA, while our partner, Oxfam India is operating the system,” said Dr. Madhulika Jonathan, chief of field office, UNICEF Assam.
Around 1.3 million people, including 393, 758 children and 469,600 women from 1,344 villages of24 districts are affected by the flash floods in the state of Assam.
UNICEF is on the ground working in close coordination with respective governments and humanitarian partners to scale up its responses and support the immediate needs of affected children and their families.
“Clean and safe drinking water is the basic need of the hour, as flood waters have submerged homes and villages in Cachar district, one of the worst affected in the state. To ensure safe access to drinking water to vulnerable populations, UNICEF Assam along with DDMA Cachar and partner Oxfam India have installed the filtration units,” Jonathan said.