New sewers change lives

Faisalabad is an industrial city in Pakistan surrounded by rural farmland.  Job opportunities in the city have drawn poor migrants from the rural areas, many of whom live under extremely cramped conditions in low income settlements.

Estimates show that settlements that were originally built for housing 200 people now house an average of 7,000 residents each.  The settlements rarely have any services.  Foul smelling sewage flows into the streets, near houses and in areas where children play.

WaterAid in Pakistan and its local partner Anjuman Samaji Behbood (ASB) are helping communities in these low income settlements to install underground pipes to channel sewage into the main municipal sewage line.

The local residents all agree to pay a small amount for the project.This is a self help project, we do not want anything for free.

While WaterAid and ASB are providing the technical know-how, the communities themselves are financing both the initial construction and maintenance, and providing the necessary labor.

The new community sewers in the Hasan Pur slum have led to a dramatic improvement in living conditions.  Irshad Bibi, a mother of six, who has lived in the slum since 1973, remarks, “There used to be sewage on the streets, which made our homes subside.  It used to sit there for so long with nowhere for it to go so the groundwater also became contaminated.

“The streets outside were very dirty and smelly, my neighbor’s child fell into the sewage when he was only ten months old. Quarrels between women would be bad.

“We would argue about whose rubbish and waste was causing a smell and children would find it hard to play.  As there was no space our children would resort to staying inside the house, which was unhealthy - the children would then fight with each other.  They would also get sick from being in the sewage.”

She continues noting other improvements in their lives: “We have been healthier since the project finished.  When the lane was cleared and the sewage piped away, things in the street became better.

"The children play cricket in the street, the smell and the flies have gone and due to our success we have got the local government to pipe water to our area.  Life is happier because the local women no longer argue.”

Irshad’s husband Abdul Rezark, who is a lane manager in Hasan Pur, explains his involvement with the project:

“I was nominated as a lane manager by the residents on the street.  I was then given training and technical assistance for this job by ASB.  As a lane manager I collect the maintenance money from the local residents and I also manage the labor.

“My main job is to look after the credit system and ensure that it is benefiting everyone.  The local residents all agree to pay a small amount to pay for the project.  If residents cannot afford it, ASB can loan them the money but they must pay it back over several months.  This is a self help project, we do not want anything for free.”