Kabul, 6 July 2005 - DACAAR moves into three new provinces to provide improved drinking water and sanitation facilities to rural communities in Central and Northern Afghanistan. The targeted areas are remote districts located in Faryab, Ghor and Badakhshan provinces where drinking water is not available. This lack of drinking water in Faryab and Ghor provinces is in some cases the continued effects of the recent years of drought.
Today, DACAAR opens a provincial office in Faizabad in Badakhshan Province and immediately starts working on a number of water supply projects in districts where so far no water and sanitation projects have been established. DACAAR will carry out work in close cooperation with local communities and authorities to decide and prioritize village needs. Initially, 200 households in remote districts are targeted to benefit from a comprehensive water pipe scheme project. Based on further assessments in the area DACAAR will decide on additional water supply projects in Badakhshan Province.
Another provincial office has been established in Maimana in Faryab Province from where DACAAR will coordinate new water supply activities within the province and in the neighbouring Ghor Province. This ECHO funded project is planned to last about six months targeting around 8,000 households who will get access to improved drinking water and receive hygiene education.
The two new offices in Northern Afghanistan are established as provincial offices as part of a general change in DACAAR's organisational structure. This new structure introduces smaller provincial offices allowing for more flexibility in DACAAR's Water and Sanitation Programme.
The need for flexibility has increased as a result of the Afghan government now coordinating the overall planning of rehabilitation and development projects in the country, where contracts are often given for province-based development plans and on a short term basis. Consequently, DACAAR's current more permanent field management offices will now be replaced by provincial offices. These offices will be relatively small and maintained only for as long as DACAAR has contracts in the province. All offices outside the main office in Kabul will continue to be managed by Afghan staff.
Contacts:
WSP Manager Leendert Vijselaar
Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel.: (93) (0) 70 31 77 83
Email: l.vijselaar@dacaar.org
Public Information Officer Alexandra
Strand Holm
Kabul, Afghanistan
Tel.: (93) (0) 79 33 77 53
Email: a.strand.holm@dacaar.org