Salim Abdo Salim, who is in his fifties, and a resident of al-Jarrah Village - District of Hais - has become homeless with his four children. His home and thirteen other homes in the area were swept away by torrent floods in 2016. Up till today, he and the other homeowners haven’t been able to rebuild their homes.

Heavy rainfall and flash floods have caused havoc to the homes in al-Jarrah village. Some have been swept away, some destroyed and, in the best instances, have developed cracks. All this is due to the lack of rainwater drainage and irrigation channels.

Protection and Safety

The suffering of the villagers in al-Jarrah is indescribable. Overnight, a family and children can become homeless and have to make do in a makeshift shelter made of blankets and fabrics warped around trees. The people are already experiencing extreme hardship to provide bread for the family, let alone rebuilding a demolished home – even if it was a small thatched hut.

Field visits by PWP’s social workers for needs assessments and identification of priorities produced a need for building irrigation channels to protect homes in al-Jarrah village from torrent floods.

Farhan Ahmed, 55, said the intervention by PWP to protect homes in the village from the flash floods will provide protection and safety for the residents of the village and the children and will spare them homelessness and having to live in the open air…a home is the first priority for any persons.

Stability

The protection of al-Jarrah village will create stability for the residents. It will spare them displacements, migration, homelessness and living in the open air, according to Khaled Nasser Sulaiman. He said families affected by the floods are forced to move to nearby villages or live under the trees after their homes are destroyed. He added, the intervention by PWP to implement the irrigation channels will protect the village and will increase arable land. This means increased production, makes better use of the water, and turns it from indignation to a boon.