The Norwegian Red Cross has, with support from DNV, developed know-how and tools to establish a water supply to victims of disasters – quickly. Thousands of people have been helped.
When tsunamis, earthquakes and other disasters strike, the water supply can break down in seconds, leaving thousands of people in desperate need of an alternative water source. This is why the Norwegian Red Cross, with DNV’s support, has developed a way to supply water to victims of disasters.
DNV has assisted the Norwegian Red Cross in the development of an Emergency Response Unit (ERU) for water supply.
The ERU consists of:
- Specialist volunteers.
- Tools necessary for utilising ground water for drinking.
- Ground water is accessed by either digging shallow wells or drilling bore holes.
DNV's specialists contributed
DNV specialists on water issues helped to specify the skills and tools necessary to carry out work in the field, working closely with the Norwegian Red Cross disaster preparedness team.
In order to successfully utilise ground water as drinking water, skills and tools within the following areas are necessary:
- Water source identification
- Water quality monitoring
- Construction of shallow wells
- Bore hole drilling
DNV has sponsored two drilling rigs
One important tool that is part of the ERU is a mobile drilling rig that can drill down to approximately 100 metres. DNV has sponsored two such drilling rigs.
The drilling rig is fitted on a trailer and is pulled by a Red Cross land cruiser.
Drilling rigs in operation
The DNV sponsored drilling rigs have already been put to good use. One has been drilling wells to provide water to tsunami victims in Aceh, Indonesia. The other is currently in use in Mozambique.
The Norwegian Red Cross keeps one stored in Norway, ready for deployment to future emergency operations.