Training on emergency water treatment held at NEDFI premises

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: A one-day training on 'Emergency Water Treatment' was organized on Tuesday for DDMA and PilED officials jointly by ASDMA, PilED, UNICEF and Caritas India at the NEDFI premises here.

"Access to safe and equitable drinking water is critical to survival during any emergency. Assam has introduced many innovations under the leadership of ASDMA and PHED to improve access to affected populations, and the learning has been immense. UNICEF's recent experience of working with ASDMA and partners to introduce boat mounted water treatment units during the Cachar floods in 2022 highlights the need to bring agility and flexibility in use of water treatment units to reach the last mile. This training is an opportunity to explore effective ways of ensuring safe and equitable drinking water to those most in need," said Dr Madhulika Jonathan, Chief of the Field Office of UNICEF for Assam and NE States.

GD Tripathi, Chief Executive Officer of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in his keynote address called upon stakeholders and participants to find ways of introducing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sustainability where resilience is a non-negotiable feature by design. He highlighted the importance of implementing the DRR Roadmap in true spirit in the WASH sector as dedicated funding will be made available from this financial year. He advocated for implementing at-scale solutions for improving access to safe and equitable water to people affected by disasters' During the training, participants were skilled on tools and processes for emergency water treatment, including the use of various available water treatment units designed for emergencies.

ASDMA and UNICEF are collaborating to pre-position 20 such emergency water treatment units on a pilot basis in 10 flood-prone districts to support the districts in ensuring that flood-affected people have access to safe drinking water.

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