Lien Aid in Myanmar
The devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis left more than 130,000 people dead or missing in Myanmar and another 1 million homeless. The hardest hit Irrawaddy Delta had most of its municipal water facilities damaged, while open water sources such as ponds, dug wells and rivers were polluted by debris and salt water intrusions.
Quality and availability of water remain a major health concern. Local communities have little access to aid and rely on contaminated surface water for drinking exposing them to high risks of water borne diseases. Aid agencies have provided temporary solutions by supplying bottled drinking water and disinfectant tablets in the aftermath of the disaster but what is needed are long term solutions which will continue to be sustained even after external aid pulls out.
