In late May, 2008, an earthquake rocked Sichuan Province in central China. The number of those deceased quickly rose passed 50,000 while the number of injured stood at nearly 300,000. The earthquake affected a staggering 10.6 million people. A reported 1,300 water treatment works were compromised following the quake, leaving access to clean drinking water as a primary need.
GlobalMedic was asked by the Chinese government to deploy a Rapid Response Team to the affected zone in order to provide clean drinking water. GlobalMedic immediately responded by deploying a team to Sichuan Province. The team was equipped with 1 Nomad Water Purification Unit (100 litres / minute), 20 Trekker Water Purification Units (4 litres / minute / unit), and 5 million Aquatab Water Purification Tablets (one tablet purifies one litre of water).
In partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) the second phase of GlobalMedic’s response was deployed on August 16th, 2008. The second phase consisted of the installation of 60 Trekker Water Purification Units and the distribution of an additional 4.2 million Aquatabs. The water units and tablets were delivered and distributed by GlobalMedic staff and the respective Water Boards.
GlobalMedic’s third phase was deployed on September 20th, 2008. An additional 60 Trekker Units were installed and 4.2 million Aquatabs were distributed. GlobalMedic once again partnered with the Sichuan Water and Farmland Bureau. GlobalMedic staff and trained members of the local Water Boards oversaw the installation and distribution of the aid equipment and supplies.
The team trained members of local water boards in districts throughout Sichuan Province which were affected by the earthquake on the operation and maintenance of the water purification units. Therefore, the water boards were able to provide clean drinking water to victims of the earthquake while also retaining the units for future disaster responses. In total, GlobalMedic distributed 21.8 million Aquatab Water Purification Tablets, installed 140 Trekker Water Purification Units and a Nomad Water Purification Unit. The units have combined capacity to provide 210,000 people each day with emergency drinking water.
