Merlin staff travelled by boat yesterday to deliver 600 gallons of clean water to 12,500 people, living in villages devastated by floods, along the low-lying coastal plains of Laputta.
The community ponds the villagers relied on for safe water were flooded in the 12ft tidal surge which followed Cyclone Nargis. Prior to Merlin's arrival, villagers had to travel by boat to get clean water and they had only managed to get 70 gallons at a time.
It took two hours to bring the precious cargo back from town, and even then the water was used within a matter of hours. The motorised boat available speeded up the journey but used costly amounts of fuel, which very few people can afford right now.
The water will last for about a week, but Merlin has also helped the village to improve long-term availability. Experts pumped the contaminated water out of the ponds, so that they can now be filled by clean rain water, from the monsoon rains now battering the region.
Dr Pyong, our Project Health Team Leader in Laputta, describes how people in the isolated villages are trying to survive, nine days on:
'All but a handful of brick homes were destroyed in the cyclone. Everyone is living either in the local monastery or primary school. Both had their roofs ripped away, so families are having to shelter under ragged sheets of tarpaulin to keep the rain off.'
Merlin is also providing clean water in temples, pagodas and other public spaces in and around Laputta town and clean water and hygiene kits in three camps in Laputta township.
The challenges are enormous, but Merlin is doing what it can to save lives. More funds are desperately needed to help us to do this. Please donate to the DEC or Merlin's Emergency Fund now. Thank you.