Leading United States Water Nonprofit Sends Clean Water Solutions To Flood Victims
Boone, NC, October 25, 2022 – An estimated 33 million people in Pakistan are impacted by flooding in the region. The North Carolina-based nonprofit, Wine To Water (W|W) is guiding a water emergency relief effort through technical advisory services by delivering water filters to as many people as possible.
“Residents of Pakistan are at extreme risk of waterborne diseases. We feel great compassion for any individual without access to clean water. Many homes are destroyed, and the health of the people is compromised by flooding. We need to support them immediately,” stated Doc Hendley, the founder and international president of W|W. “We sent team members who are skilled in managing crisis situations, along with water filters and we’ve raised money to support the mission,” added Hendley, who is known for his commitment to ensuring clean water for people everywhere and was honored as a CNN Hero for his work.
The purpose of the relief effort in Pakistan is to develop and guide water treatment systems in country at camps for people displaced from the flood. It is also to support the Kingdom of Pakistan in their water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) programming. The team will also evaluate capacity of other Pakistani partnerships to implement water filters for sustainable water programs of both short- and long-term duration.
The team landed in early October and will return by November. They will be primarily working in the Karachi and Hyderabad regions of Pakistan, providing 5,000 filters along with technical support. Leading the relief effort is Kate Holmberg, a licensed professional engineer with a background in water, wastewater, and stormwater design. Holmberg has multiple experiences in natural and conflict-related disaster recovery, having worked in the Philippines for three years on disaster recovery and development work following Super Typhoon Yolanda. She has also worked in Ukraine with reverse osmosis systems in bombarded cities, in COVID-19 relief services, and most recently in Jackson, Mississippi.
W|W developed the W|W Filter Build® program and built relationships with corporate partners. Together, they support and maintain an inventory of water filters for rapid response and quick deployment. This provides W|W with the ability to respond to disasters and has built their resilience when global needs increase.
The filter program increased the capacity of W|W to provide clean water to those in immediate need. This is just in time, as many climate experts believe floods and other climate-driven natural disasters will grow more and more common. For example, while ongoing work is happening in Nepal and the Dominican Republic, this month W|W also supplied emergency water, filters, water quality testing, and recycling stations in Southwest Florida after the hurricane emergency.
Waterborne diseases are not the only concern when there is flooding, but there is also an amplification of food scarcity and concerns over starvation, as reported in an article by The Guardian.
Individuals, groups, and corporations can donate to Wine To Water and help support their efforts in Pakistan or other areas of the world. Please visit WineToWater.org to donate or learn about ways to volunteer.
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