Small Town and Rural Communities Water Restoration Program

From 2005 - 2008, IRD implemented the Small Town and Rural Communities Water Restoration program, funded by the United Nation’s Children Fund (UNICEF). The objectives of this program are to both rehabilitate urban and rural water systems and improve the health and hygiene practices of local communities following the devastating tsunami of December 2004.

Rural Component
Under this program, IRD works to enhance existing water systems and provide additional infrastructure to displaced villagers still dependent on emergency relief programs following the tsunami. IRD is installing the water supply systems in four rural villages in Aceh Besar: Tingkeum, Kandang, Lam Kunyet and Lam Tadok. These water supply systems benefit 1,754 people.

To create long-term sustainability, IRD works with local communities to build and maintain water supply systems, including pipelines, potable water sources and latrines. IRD provides equipment, technical expertise and project management while local villagers provide labor. By engaging villagers in the water systems, IRD strengthens the community’s capacity to identify, plan, implement and sustain drinking water supply and sanitation services. Once the projects are completed, ownership of the programs remains within the community.

Urban Component
Following the tsunami, IRD is working to rehabilitate existing structures and to create sustainable water distribution networks throughout Aceh Besar. For example, IRD recently restored the Mata’ie pumping station, raising capacity from 11 gallons/second prior to the tsunami to its optimum capacity of 24 gallons/second. Water from the pumping station is then pumped to the Mata’ie Water Treatment Plant (WTP), which IRD also restored, to provide clean, potable water to the 83,000 residents in the area.

When the Kampung Jawa Sewage Treatment Plant was destroyed during the tsunami, waste was being pumped directly into rivers after the disaster. To address this problem, IRD identified a temporary location for a sewage plant and then rehabilitated a series of three concrete ponds. This project allowed approximately 20 trucks a day servicing camps, barracks and houses to dump their sewage until a permanent facility could be constructed.