VZCZCXRO2883
OO RUEHROV RUEHTRO
DE RUEHKH #1266/01 3130731
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 090731Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY KHARTOUM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4711
INFO RUCNIAD/IGAD COLLECTIVE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KHARTOUM 001266 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR MGAVIN, LETIM 
DEPT PLS PASS USAID FOR AFR/SUDAN 
ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR USAU 
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
UN ROME FOR HSPANOS 
NEW YORK FOR DMERCADO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PREF PGOV PHUM SOCI SMIG UN SU
SUBJECT: USAID/OFDA Darfur Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene 
Assessment 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary:  Despite adequate safe drinking water supply in 
most internally displaced person (IDP) camps in Darfur, substantial 
gaps remain in sanitation and hygiene services, according to USAID's 
Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) Water, 
Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) advisor.  WASH partners are working 
to design and implement additional water supply strategies in rural 
areas and are considering interventions to address nomad water 
access concerns. End Summary. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
CURRENT WASH SERVICES: SUCCESSES AND GAPS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) From October 3 to 14, a USAID/OFDA field team, including the 
WASH advisor, visited program sites in internally displaced person 
(IDP) camps, host communities, and rural areas in North, West, and 
South Darfur to observe program implementation and sector trends. 
 
¶3.  (U) According to partner reports and field observations, the 
quantity of water is adequate in most IDP camps, although water 
usage assessments are needed to verify per capita water use due to 
the constant flux in camp population.  International 
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the Government of National 
Unity (GNU) monitor and report on water quality through the Office 
of Water, Environment, and Sanitation (WES).  The USAID/OFDA WASH 
advisor noted that IDPs and host community members not only use 
water for cooking, drinking, and personal hygiene but also for 
livelihoods and income-generating activities such as brick-making, 
watering animals, and transporting and selling water to nearby urban 
areas.  With UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) support, WES was able to 
adequately fill water provision gaps created by the March 2009 NGO 
expulsions. 
 
¶4.  (U) Hygiene and sanitation needs have been chronically 
underserved in Darfur, with gaps present even prior to the 
expulsions.  Now, with fewer NGOs operating in this sector, the 
sanitation situation in some areas has declined to critical levels. 
In several areas, NGO partners are overwhelmed by sanitation and 
hygiene needs.  Kalma IDP camp in South Darfur provides a notable 
example.  Prior to the expulsions, CARE, OXFAM/GB, and WES all 
worked in the WASH sector in the camp with programs including solid 
waste management, latrine construction and cleaning, hygiene 
promotion, water provision, and water quality monitoring.  After the 
expulsion of CARE and OXFAM, USAID/OFDA partner American Refugee 
Committee (ARC), with support from UNICEF, began WASH activities in 
the camp, but the work requirements to provide WASH support to the 
estimated 82,000 individuals in Kalma are far greater than what one 
NGO can accomplish independently.  (Note: Following the NGO 
expulsions, Kalma camp leaders have refused to permit WES or any 
other Sudanese government agency to enter or work in the camp. End 
note.)  In recent weeks, NGOs providing health services in the camp 
have reported increased cases of diarrhea and skin diseases, which 
are soft indicators of deteriorating hygiene and sanitation. 
However, to date in 2009, health monitors have not recorded any 
cases of acute watery diarrhea (AWD), due in part to AWD prevention 
programs, including soap distribution, hygiene education, and water 
quality monitoring. 
 
¶5.  (U) WES and UNICEF monitor groundwater depletion throughout 
Darfur and note that the water table shows signs of depletion near 
urban areas with large populations and African Union-UN Hybrid 
Operations in Darfur (UNAMID) facilities, where water demand and 
usage are high.  UNICEF and WES engineers are examining various 
methods to increase groundwater recharge in these areas.  Water 
shortages are possible in the future if ground water is 
insufficiently recharged by less than average rainfall and demand 
for water remains high. 
 
-------------------------- 
PROVIDING FOR PASTORALISTS 
-------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) In meetings with USAID/OFDA staff, WES described a plan to 
target pastoralists, who claim to have been marginalized by the 
Sudanese government and the international community over many years. 
 During the spring and fall migrations, pastoralists historically 
remain for two weeks or more near villages to access village water. 
Pastoralists' visits cause disruptions to village life and migrating 
animals may damage crops.  WES proposes placing water sources for 
pastoralists a distance away from villages to minimize negative 
interactions between the populations.  The personnel who maintain 
the village water system could also service additional water points, 
with WES support.  Nearby villages could use these water points for 
 
KHARTOUM 00001266  002 OF 002 
 
 
additional water when the pastoralists are not present.  This 
solution would require substantial GNU support. 
 
--------------------- 
RURAL WATER PROVISION 
--------------------- 
 
¶7.  (U) In rural areas, UNICEF and WES are improving water provision 
services.  Each year, UNICEF and WES attempt to raise the percentage 
of funds allocated to rural areas while maintaining service levels 
in IDP camps.  The USAID/OFDA WASH advisor noted that WES is the 
best implementer of rural water activities because the agency will 
be responsible for maintaining water systems in the future and has 
good access in GNU-controlled areas in Darfur.  The WASH advisor 
further noted that standards for water provision in rural areas are 
not equivalent to water needs in IDP camps.  The GNU has established 
standards for rural water provision that far exceed available water 
in these areas, even prior to the beginning of the Darfur conflict. 
 
 
¶8.  (U) Comment: Security remains the major constraint to working in 
rural areas of Darfur. The general atmosphere of insecurity and the 
absence of rule of law in Darfur, including recent kidnappings and 
continued incidences of banditry, discourage NGOs from working in 
deep field locations. Sustainability of water interventions requires 
not only hardware installation but also the software of training 
mechanics and ensuring a supply chain of spare parts.  Despite these 
challenges, USAID/OFDA will continue to provide water, sanitation, 
and hygiene support to vulnerable populations in Darfur, including 
in rural areas, when possible. 
 
WHITEHEAD