Water and sanitation activities continue

Twenty pit latrines have been installed in four villages in the Tite sector in the southern region of Quinara, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in its most recent situation report.

The project was supported by WHO but implemented by a local NGO, OCHA said. The WFP provided food for work assistance. Another 40 latrines will be constructed following a WHO evaluation on 17 February.

A humanitarian source in Bissau told IRIN that parts of the Tite sector had been hit by the war and that the pit latrine project had been suspended during this period.

“The level of community involvement is a key element in determining the areas in which the pit latrines will be built,” the source said.

Meanwhile, WHO has made arrangements with local partners to construct 50 latrines in Bra Bairro and 100 latrines in Bairro Militar, two districts in Bissau which were badly affected during the war.

In the Simao Mendes Hospital, Bissau’s main hospital which was partially destroyed during the war, UNICEF is supporting the repair of the operating theatre, maternity and paediatric wards and out-patient area, OCHA said. UNICEF continues to provide drinking water to the hospital and other needy areas of Bissau, OCHA added.