Meeting the water needs of 10,000 refugees after an earthquake in Pakistan

On October 8, 2005, an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck the Kashmir region and Afghanistan.

The toll is heavy: 70,000 dead and as many wounded, entire towns and villages wiped out, 3 million people left homeless as winter approaches. A mountainous region, remote villages that are difficult to access, damaged roads and harsh weather conditions do not facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on Veoliaforce to assess water needs immediately after the disaster. With the support of Caritas France, Veoliaforce supplies water to 10,000 disaster victims in the Thuri camp. The operation is being carried out in close collaboration with the local Pakistani authorities and Unicef, which is responsible for coordinating international humanitarian aid in the water sector.

Volunteers transport, install and start up two mobile Aquaforce units capable of producing up to 200 cubic meters of drinking water per day.

  • They set up a network to facilitate water distribution.
  • They manage the installation for two months and train two local operators, a technician and a chemist, to take over after their departure.
  • The camp is supplied with water for six months.
  • Location:
    Thuri camp, Pakistan
  • Date:
    October 2005 
  • Partners:
    French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Unicef, Caritas France
“Originally from Pakistan, I was overwhelmed by the images of the earthquake! Thinking of my loved ones, I wanted to get involved. As a Veoliaforce volunteer for the past year, I've been able to provide concrete help through language skills, logistics and dialogue with local players. When I was there, I realized that restoring access to water was a priority in a crisis situation, and that it was often the criterion used by the authorities to guide people who had lost everything. Our responsiveness in this operation enabled us to deploy in good time a facility adapted to the needs of the camp, where 30 to 40 families were pouring in every day.”
Ayaz Baig
Veoliaforce Volunteer

The intervention in figures:

10 volunteers taking turns in the field for 8 weeks 140 man-days

Organizational, logistical and technical support from France 24 hours a day

9 tonnes of specialized equipment: Aquaforce 5000 mobile drinking water production units