Sanitation Program

Sanitation is a problem throughout the globe. In South Asia, the sanitation improvements have child not kept up with population growth: in 2010 the region had about 1,057 million people without improved sanitation, some 30 million more than in 1990. From 1990 till 2010, South Asia increased sanitation coverage from 22 per cent to 38 per cent. During this 20-year period, 369 million people gained access to sanitation. As of 2010, the region remains off track for the sanitation MDG target. For the region to achieve the sanitation MDG target of 61 per cent would require an additional 500 million people to gain access to sanitation, a near-impossible task given the trend over the past 20 years. Urban populations are twice as likely to use improved sanitation facilities as rural ones, 60 per cent versus 28 per cent. Urban sanitation coverage in the region has stagnated in recent years. The number of urban dwellers in South Asia not using improved sanitation facilities rose from 134 million in 1990 to 196 million in 2010.From 1990 till 2010, millions of South Asians gained access to improved drinking water sources, increasing coverage to 90 per cent, surpassing the MDG target for the region. This still leaves some 170 million people not using drinking water from improved sources.

childLack of attention to water, sanitation and hygiene issues is the single major source of backwardness of the developing world. Poor drinking water quality, quantity, sanitation and hygienic conditions cause illness, loss of working hours and treatment expenses reduce and consume our low income. Worms and helminthes in our digestive track due to contaminated water is a strong competitor of scarce food that we happen to eat. Wastage of time in collecting water from distances keeps women, girls and children away from home giving rise to several problems including poor family contact and illiteracy. Through virtual media AHKMT want to discuss issues related to water, sanitation and hygiene and try to find their practical solutions through discussion with the stake holders, experts.

AHKMT (Dr. Akhtar Hammed Khan Memorial Trust) was established by some energetic youth of community as a humanitarian, non-government organization in response to the alleviation the suffering of fellow human beings. The vision of AHKMT is to make readily available services of community driven total sanitation to all residents of Pakistan, services of sanitation to meet their personal, social, cultural, and economical needs. AHKMT started it work to facilitate the citizens irrespective to caste, creed and social status. Its office is in Rawalpindi dealing with a number of projects, touching every aspect life. It works as a bridge in community, NGO’s, Government Officials and other International Agencies.

AHKMT supported by community, working in high populated discarded area of Rawalpindi for last several years. Rawalpindi is situated adjacent to federal capital Islamabad with a population of estimated to be 4.5 million of wholeDistrict in 2010 but the main focus was on Rawalpindi city having population of 1.6-1.8 million.There are few planned areas in the city but most of the areas are facing the problem of water sanitation, therefore, keeping this problem in mind the AHKMT (Dr. Akhtar Hammed Khan Memorial Trust) started its work in different towns (Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Rate, Dhoke Mungtail, Dhoke Ali Akbar, Iqbal town, Dhoke Sayyeddan Habib colony, Nawab colony, Fuji colony, Bilal Colony and Dhoke kala khan) of Rawalpindi with the help of RTI, Water Aid, local people and other organization. These towns have majority of low income people.

The towns had different issues regarding water sanitation which are

  • Lack of Government interest to work in small towns having low income population. While People are waiting for government that they will work for them.
  • Awareness among people is also a big challenge of the time.
  • People expect so much from government, they think that these problems are government problems (Sanitation problem) and government will solve that.
  • Leveling and Correction of slope
  • Absences of secondary lines and distance of final disposal.
  • Constructing the main hole.
  • Nontechnical covering the open drains.
  • In some areas the people want to work by their own but the problem over estimation occurred due to non-technical work.
  • Leveling of sewerage lines were also a problem in some areas. I.e. Such area requires proper slop.
  • Problem of basic facilities in new towns and unplanned areas evolving around the city.
  • Non- technical Work in the street 12-A Bilal Colony due to its slop and unavailability of the disposal point.

The aim is to mobilize the community and it is possible only after visiting their areas. The process of the Trust is simple. I.e. Target an area, survey the area, base line study of the area, identify the problem and communicate with the community, presenting them the services and solutions of them problems.

Keeping the quality and hard work of the Trust in mind different communities sending their request for working in their areas. Which were accepted by the Trust and served them too. For example: Mr. Zaheer Khan President Gulzar-i-Quaid Welfare society requested for a survey of their area. His request was accept the survey was conducted.

Dr. Akhtar Hammed Khan memorial Trust achieves so much, starting from a single room office to its own new office with all kind of office stuff. The Trust designs and published their pamphlets, files and calendar. AHKMT provide quality work for last one and half decade and therefore on the basis of their work communities from different areas in Rawalpindi start communicating to AHKMT. The trust provides technical solutions to the problems in the project area.