"Phase V: Improving decentralized water supply along the contact line", part of the program...

completed

The conflict in eastern Ukraine continues to threaten the well-being of people, especially those living along the contact line, where active hostilities are most intense. According to the Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) 2019, water and sanitation infrastructure near the contact line has been severely affected since the beginning of the conflict in 2014 and continues to be severely damaged. 38% of households within 20 km of the contact line require support for water supply and 46% for sanitation. Rural systems in particular require rehabilitation and urgent repairs to ensure uninterrupted water supply to rural communities. Deep wells and water towers are in poor condition, especially in remote and small settlements with their small decentralized systems. Maintenance work in decentralized systems was last carried out in some cases in 2000. As a result of lack of maintenance and wear and tear, the condition and functionality of the systems have deteriorated significantly since then. The most acute needs of the affected communities concern the rehabilitation and construction of water systems and the repair of toilets, water treatment plants and hygiene sets for households and institutions. Health facilities are also affected by poor hygiene and the reliability of the water supply. In addition, girls lack knowledge about the sensitive issue of menstrual hygiene, which is potentially stressful in many ways during this critical phase of life. The development policy objective of the project is therefore to improve the living conditions of the population of the affected area in Donetsk Oblast by mitigating the negative effects of the conflict along the contact line, to reduce their impact as a result of the conflict and to reduce the pressure to migrate to areas further west in Ukraine. This is to be achieved by investing in improving the decentralized water supply to settlements in rural areas and in health facilities there. An important complement are TA measures to strengthen resilience to the often precarious water supply situation by improving the capacity of village and community councils to independently develop, repair and maintain their water systems, as well as to improve knowledge, especially among girls, on the subject of menstrual hygiene.