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Damt District in Al-Dhale Governorate has relied on the public wells project managed by Local Water and Sanitation Corporation (LWSC), as its main water source in recent years. The water source consists of four boreholes, two storage tanks of 300 and 500 m^3, and a water network. Al-Aomarah well at Haql Al Fard is the only one currently in service, using an electrical submersible pump powered by a generator. The other wells have been suspended for a long period due to high costs of rehabilitation and diesel fuel, alongside inappropriate budget allocation. In response to this shortage of water, YFCA, funded by YHF through provision of comprehensive and life-saving WASH assistance for IDPs and most vulnerable groups project, has completed the rehabilitation of Al-Massnah Haql Al Fard Well No. 2. This intervention is geared towards improving local access to water and community health. The rehabilitation activities included the supply, installation, and operation of a 67.5 kW solar energy system, as well as the rehabilitation of the control room.
Prior to this intervention, the well had not been maintained for a considerable length of time, leading to severe deterioration of water accessibility in the area. This meant that the local population could only access water for one hour, once every 15 days or more which is an amount insufficient for their needs. In addition, many areas and neighborhoods in the city did not receive water at all due to the institution’s inability to meet the required water production. Furthermore, the local authorities faced some challenges such as insufficient amounts of fuel required to operate the pump in Al-Massnah Haql Al Fard Well and the needed equipment for maintenance. “Damt is a city of large population, was adversely affected by the conflict. This resulted in the damage of the main water project, and the inability of LWSC to provide the necessary maintenance, which consequently led to heavy shortage of water.” Ahmed Qasim Al-Halqabi said, the manager of LWSC at Damt district.
During the implementation of the well project, YFCA encountered several obstacles, including interference from land ownership claims, difficulty meeting activity indicators, inadequate technical specifications for supplies, and lack of cooperation between LWSC and Water and Environment representatives. Fortunately, these issues did not impede the progress and completion of the rehabilitation of Al-Massnah Haql Al Fard Well No. 2. As a result, the well was connected directly to the production service with a daily rate between 150 m^3 to more than 300 m^3 of water, an amount which was greater than the total production before the intervention. Thereby, ensuring continuous access to safe water for beneficiaries (BNFs), such as host communities and internally displaced people. The capital share safe drinking water has also increased from less than 7.5 liters to 20 liters per day per person, and the water cost receipt was reduced from 700 YR to 300 YR. Additionally, the intervention supplied and installed high-quality specifications to ensure sustainability of the project.
Hence, these efforts helped people of the area (9500) direct BNFs and (7200) indirect BNFs to access safe water with ease. The community of Damt city expressed their appreciation to Family Care Association, and they extend their gratitude to YHF because the project done on Al-Massnah Haql Al Fard Well has been a great success.