Stakeholders dialogue on water, sanitation and hygiene issues
at the IDP relocation sites
Stakeholders met for a dialogue on the water, sanitation and hygiene issues of the ten transitory sites and one evacuation center in Zamboanga City.
The dialogue took place on July 15, 2015 at the Carlos Dominguez Conference Hall of Ateneo de Zamboanga University (ADZU).
Representatives of involved NGOs, civil society organizations, City Health Office and other government agencies as well as the Zamboanga City Water District (ZCWD), camp managers and members of ADZU Recovery and Assistance Program (AdZU-RAP) attended the meeting.
Water, sanitation and hygiene continue to be a challenge for residents of the transitory sites and evacuation centers. These residents are the internally displaced persons (IDPs) from the 2013 Zamboanga Siege. Interventions to address these issues fall under an umbrella program called WASH – water, sanitation and hygiene.
The dialogue was a forum for discussing challenges, successes, and plans of the program. It was organized by the Action Contre Le Feim (ACF) and ADZU-RAP. RAP in turn is an umbrella term for various offices and officers of the university who are involved in the school’s programs to assist the IDPs.
The dialogue started with a presentation by the ZCWD General Manager Leonardo Rey Vasquez who explained the role and programs of the ZCWD for permanent sites. This was followed by updates on Zamboanga City WASH by City Health Officer, Dr. Rodelin Agbulos.
Major issues related to WASH in transitory sites and host Barangays were raised during the open forum. Participants anticipated water shortage in transitory sites starting early August when trucking in of water to the sites will be phased by the end of July.
Garbage collection, solid waste management, drainage, sewage disposal continue to be problematic. Related to this is the increased number of diarrhea cases among children in the transitory sites.
As a response, the CHO as head of WASH cluster in Zamboanga City will patch up these gaps with the assistance of the implementers of WASH Zamboanga (iWASH).
The loose network of local civil society organization will act as support system of the WASH cluster. Dr. Agbulos declared that “as long as the objective is for the betterment of the IDPs and communities, iWASH can directly partner with them.”
The dialogue was attended by ACF, ADZU-RAP, ICRC, UNICEF, IRDT, Kabalikat, D’Alert, Camp Emergency Response Team, OCENR, ZCWD and CHO.
