Six months on from Cyclone Nargis: Delivering aid
3 November 2008
Below are two stories illustrating work being carried out in Burma by the aid agency Merlin, which is supported by the UK Government.
Desalinating the Delta
Ever since Cyclone Nargis struck six months ago, a key focus of Merlin's work has been to provide access to water, sanitation and hygiene for those in need. The agency has been working in Laputta Township, one of the hardest hit areas of the southern Irrawaddy Delta.
Kha Naung, a community health worker, was quick to alert Merlin
to the awful conditions in her village:
"When the storm surge came, our drinking water ponds were flooded with dirty
salt water. People were having to drink this water because there was nothing
else, so of course they were getting sick. Thankfully Merlin arrived, bringing
clean drinking water in jerry cans from Laputta town."
Now, programmes have been established to find solutions to the problems that
will arise after the monsoon ends and the dry season begins. One such programme has
provided households with devices for catching and carrying rainwater,
while another has seen reverse osmosis units installed in six villages at key
points in the Delta.
The units desalinate and purify water from salty ponds, ensuring that
villagers always have a supply of drinking water close to hand. Water from
interconnecting community ponds can also be pumped through the system, producing
up to 34,000 litres a day – enough not only for the village, but for those
living nearby as well. People are now arriving from all around to pick up free
supplies for their families.
Healthcare on the move
DFID’s funding to Merlin has also provided emergency health services for people in remote affected areas. Mobile health clinics have seen that, even in the farthest flung places, healthcare can reach those in need.
One important service carried out by the clinics has been to ensure a medical
presence at births. Ye Naing, a doctor from one of Merlin’s mobile teams,
recounts how he was called out late one night to assist the delivery of a baby.
The parents were very nervous – they had had two children previously, both
stillborn. This third child was extremely precious to them and they wanted to
ensure nothing went wrong.
The Merlin mobile team – consisting of Ye Naing and a nurse - arrived at the
young couple’s home. Thankfully the birth was straightforward and, with medical
attendance, the baby was delivered without complications.
However, a problem then arose. Liquid had pooled in the baby’s mouth during
the birth and needed to be removed. This is a normal procedure, and one easily
remedied in a hospital or clinic, but during a home birth - especially one in a
remote area of the Irrawaddy Delta - it can present significant difficulties.
The new father didn't hesitate. He leant over and gently sucked the liquid out
of the baby’s mouth. In doing so, he risked contracting an infection, but this
was a risk he was happy to take. Shortly afterwards Ye Naing and the nurse were
able to leave, satisfied that the birth had gone well - and that, with a medical
eye watching over it all, disaster had been averted.
