The Civil Defence Commission (CDC) on Tuesday received a donation of over two million water purification tablets courtesy of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to help ensure the provision of safe drinking water to thousands of Guyanese.
According to a UNICEF release, the donation which was handed over by UNICEF Acting Representative, Irfan Akhtar, was accepted by CDC Deputy Director General, Major Loring Benons. The water purification tablets will be able to treat some 10 million litres of water, and help ensure the provision of safe drinking water to thousands of Guyanese. Akhtar noted that clean water is essential for life especially during times of flooding and assured that his organisation’s support will continue to be provided once the need arises.
“When the recent flooding disaster occurred, UNICEF recognized that children and families would be among the most affected and we immediately responded, based on the needs list issued by the CDC. We recognize that when children don’t have access to clean water, it affects their health, nutrition, education and learning abilities, thus impacting many aspects of their lives. Clean and safe water is essential for children’s health, survival and development”, Akhtar said.
Major Benons in turn lauded the sustained assistance from the United Nations in Guyana while pointing out that the water purification tablets will play a very important role in response and recovery and that the CDC will begin distributing the supplies to affected areas immediately.
The release stated that the donation of water purification tablets complements emergency support provided by UNICEF through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security for flood relief.
