Through its humanitarian aid , Switzerland demonstrates its support for the rural areas of Piura and Lambayeque, to help those badly hit by serious flooding with kits for safe water, protection, hygiene, protection, portable potable water plants, and the technical assistance of experts in water and rural sanitization

Emergency humanitarian aid for re-establishing living conditions in the regions of Lambayeque and Piura began on 1 April this year. Its main objective was to re-establish the way of life of rural households in the Lambayeque and Piura regions, thereby contributing to a reduction in the rate of acute diarrheal diseases and strengthening the management of the basic services with promotion training and sanitation education.

A total of 1,450 people from the hamlet of Culqui, in the district of Paimas, including students in the three educational levels in the area, have been benefited from the potable water plant, temporarily allocated by the Piura Regional Government, through the Regional Department of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, which was donated by Swiss Cooperation (SDC), to filter and improve the quality of the water that the people living in rural areas consume, which comes from the rivers.

On 17 May, an SDC delegation, headed by Martin Jaggi, Director of Cooperation, and Herbert Pacheco, national coordinator of the SABA+ Project, (falta texto) to look more closely and hear directly from the beneficiaries themselves about how this had helped to improve the health and the quality of life of the over 200 beneficiaries in Culqui, and renew their commitment to continue with a better support. The delegation was accompanied by the regional director of Housing, Construction and Sanitation, Carlos Valdivia Vizcarra; the deputy director, Enrique Chumacero Calle; the technical specialist Alan Vílchez Sánchez; the first councillor of the district municipality of Paima, Jesús Pinin, representatives of the  Culqui-Laureles JASS, Care Peru and Caritas Peru specialists, and the local residents.

Carlos Vizcarra recognised that the installation of the potable water plant in Culqui produces top class water, and has nothing to envy from a bottle of industrially bottled water. He thanked Swiss Cooperation for their donation of hygiene and security kits, “ …we hope these will serve to raise the awareness of the authorities, both the regional, and the central government, to show them that where there is a will and a way, problems can be solved in the best way, and to resolve water problems is to resolve health problems”.

He also pointed out that the plant could not stay in the area because it must carry out an itinerant work, so that the advantages it has for resolving water quality it must visit the hundreds of villages that suffer the same needs, “ … this is a way in which the central government authorities, given the considerable resources they have for the problems of rural sanitation, but look away; can instead take a look at the need in the 2, 850 hamlets we have visited and are registered, and of which the needs of only one third are met”.

Swiss Cooperation will continue
Martin Jaggi, director of Swiss Cooperation in Peru, stressed that SDC works in two important themes. These are climate change and better access to water and sanitation in Peru’s Andean region, apart from other projects it is implementing in the field of water. He stated that the Saba+ Project, which has collaborated with the country for over 20 years, will close this year, and seeks to support the authorities at all levels, and the communities to manage their system of access to water and rural sanitation better. “Swiss Cooperation SDC will continue to work in access to water and sanitation, but differently, with technical assistance, and for more countries in the region, such as Colombia”.

Jaggi stated that his attention is also focused on Humanitarian Aid for Emergencies in the regions of Piura and Lambayeque, as they are the hardest hit in the country. To do this, the Saba Plus team works jointly with Care and Caritas Peru. This joint work produced some potable water plants which are already in use but only during emergencies. In his speech, Mr. Jaggi said that the Swiss president has made the commitment to continue supporting the rehabilitation and reconstruction in the Piura Lambayeque regions, and that Swiss Cooperation SDC will be supporting the communities and authorities of these regions in the rehabilitation of rural systems of water and sanitation.

Herbert Pacheco, the national coordinator of Saba+, stated that it is necessary to conduct a technical evaluation of the source and resources available in each place in order to have a permanent and definitive solution regarding the water supply. “The solution must arise from yourselves, because you know better than anyone what hydric resources are available; for that we have all the conditions, and we have already committed the technical assistance”, he emphasised.

Finally, the president of the JASS, Elmer Yahuana, expressed his acknowledgment of the Regional Government and the cooperants for their important support.

To bear in mind:
– The potable water plant donated by Swiss Cooperation costs US$26,000. Its effective filtration process improves the quality of water compared with the murky water from the rainfall which the rural population drinks.
-The next temporary destination for the potable water plant is the Santa Ana hamlet, in Tambogrande. Earlier it spent sometime in Pedregal Alto, in the same district.

Here we share the photos and the video of the mission:

Video

Photo gallery

Source: Piura Regional Government

Related Links:
SABA+, Ficha de proyecto, Swiss Embassy, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)