From too much water to not enough: flood-damaged pipes repaired in Timor-Leste

Above: Nicia fetches water from the rebuilt water tank close to her house. Photo: Duarte Vicente/World Vision Timor-Leste

In April 2021, Timor-Leste was hit by devastating floods, which damaged homes and infrastructure in the capital, Dili, as well as impacting many rural communities.

In the villages surrounding Baucau, Timor-Leste’s second-largest town, water tanks and pipes were destroyed by the fast-moving flood water, disrupting access. Community members were left walking up to a kilometer a day just to get enough water to meet their daily needs.

“Every morning, I had to wake up much earlier for a shower before going to school. It took almost one hour to arrive at the spring to fetch water because the water pipe close to my house was broken. Sometimes, I only took a bath once a day due to the lack of water,” said 15-year-old Nicia.

After school, Nicia and her siblings had to help their mother fetch water for family use.

“During the nine months of the water reservoir being damaged, my kids and I fetched water three times a day with jerry cans and buckets,” said Nicia’s mother, Esmeralda.

The water was used for cooking and drinking, then for showers and cleaning the toilet. The rest would be used for watering Esmerelda’s home garden. However, Esmeralda’s plants were not growing well. The reduced water availability, followed by scarce rain during the long-running dry season from May to November, was taking a toll.

To tackle the challenge, World Vision, through the Australian Humanitarian Partnership’s flood response supported by the Australian Government, collaborated with local authorities and communities to rebuild the water system.

Through surveys, World Vision staff identified the biggest issues. It was decided that rebuilding water reservoirs and fixing pipes were the most important. Local communities contributed labour and locally-available materials such as stones and sand, while World Vision provided poly pipes, cement, sand, nets and other water-proof materials.

“Now, my mom and I are not going far anymore to fetch water as it is close to our house now. I can take shower twice a day and use as much water as I need,” Nicia said.

Above: Aleixo standing in front of the water tank built by World Vision. The water tank is secured by proper fencing to keep animals away, keeping the water clean. Image: Duarte Vicente/World Vision Timor-Leste

“My kitchen garden is growing well now as I have sufficient water for it without having to spend much time fetching the water. My kids also can take showers and use water as much as they need,” Esmeralda added.

“Sometimes, the spring was empty and dirty as it was not protected from animals and trash, and it took up a large part of my day supporting my family in fetching water,” said Aleixo, Esmerelda’s husband.  

“Now we have clean water because the tank is safe and protected.”

Three water tanks were provided, along with accompanying piping works, benefitting 221 households. Through coordination with the National Directorate of Water and Sanitation, communities also received training on water facility maintenance to be able to expand and maintain their existing structures to keep their water tanks safe.

The response also took into consideration the COVID-19 pandemic. World Vision partnered with the Ministry of Health to provide information on vaccination to the affected communities, as well as handwashing items like soap, buckets and jerry cans.

“This support ensures that communities spend less time fetching water and enjoy reliable access to clean water sources for their daily use,” said Duarte Vicente, World Vision AHP Flood Response project facilitator.

The AHP flood response in Timor-Leste ran for 12 months, focusing on immediate relief and restoring access to essential services. The response was led by CARE Australia, in consortium with CAN DO, Oxfam, Plan Australia, World Vision Australia and their in-country partners.