Japan brings clean water to Somalis

The International Organization for Migration announced yesterday the launch of a Japanese-funded scheme to bring clean water to vulnerable Somalis. A clarifying agent produced by the Nippon Poly-Glu Company will be used to secure safe drinking water for displaced families on the outskirts of the capital Mogadishu, the IOM said. Poly Glu has previously been used for water treatment in countries including Mexico, Thailand, Cambodia, Bangladesh and Iraq. The three-month pilot is funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), though the IOM did not state the cost.
“IOM’s mission is to promote, and in this case, directly engage in provision of safe and clean water for mobile populations and host communities in Somalia,” said Aleksandar Galev, health assessment coordinator for Africa and the Middle East. The organisation also announced the inauguration this week of Japanese-funded immigration and police premises in Tanzania’s Lindi and Mtwara regions. The $2.4 million project was set up to help the country deal with stranded migrants, mainly those from the Horn of Africa passing through Tanzania in search of work in South Africa. The IOM has built premises where the migrants can be housed and screened.

AFP