Rainwater Harvesting Tanks Nourish Hydan Hospital and Improve Medical Services

NFDHR:ADEL OTHMAN: - Tuesday, 30 March, 2021

Low levels of groundwater in Hydan town, Saada Governorate, forced residents and health service providers to look for alternatives to provide water, either from springs, streams adjacent to the area, or by paying a lot of money for water trucking. In fact, Hydan Rural Hospital allocates large budget to ensure the hospital’s daily need of water, especially when there is no rain. In the dry season, water levels decrease in the surface wells, forcing residents to buy water trucked form distant places, since they heavily depend on these wells. 

Water becomes serious concern for the hospital as Dr. Ali Askar (hospital director) clarifies that approximately 700,000 YRs are paid per month to ensure the availability of water around the clock in all hospital facilities.

Dr. Askar says: "Water budget is a huge burden on the hospital, given the volume of consumption that reaches about 230,000 liters per month in order to perform the services, receive the ill and provide them with free medical services around the clock."

The rural hospital serves Hydan district and the surrounding districts (Saqayn and Al-Dhahir). The demand has recently increased due to the free health services provided and the opening of new departments such as Minor Surgery Unit.

With the support of Yemen Humanitarian Fund, National Foundation for Development and Humanitarian Response implemented a project to establish two rainwater harvesting tanks in the areas of Al-Madhaba and Al-Jarah, west of Hydan, with storage capacity 2000 cubic meters each, and transporting water through a pipe network to the hospital and to distribution points reaching part of the town after being purified by sand filters.

Once the newly constructed water tanks are filled with water, Hydan Hospital will access free and non-stop water after the rain season.'

Hospital director says, "When water is available from rainwater harvesting tanks, the money allocated for purchasing water will be allocated to improving and developing medical services provided to citizens inside the hospital as well as opening new departments such as dental department. There will be also chance to contract with new employees or technicians needed by the hospital, and their salaries will be paid with ease."

Thus, supply of water to Hydan rural hospital will no longer be a problem that troubles the hospital’s staff.