As the summer heats up, communities in the informal settlements is having trouble getting enough drinking water. On average, the daytime temperatures reach more than 37 degrees Celsius on most days.
Over 24,060 ten-liter water bottles have been distributed to 12,030 households in Yangon’s informal settlements with the help of volunteers from the community.
Daw Moe Moe, a mother of five children, recently lost her husband due to a COVID infection. “I earn about 7,000 kyat per day working at a local betel nut cutting work. So, despite knowing that safe drinking water is important for a healthy life, I couldn’t afford to buy purified drinking water bottles because they cost 700 to 1000 kyats.” she said.
She continued, “We quickly become thirsty as the weather warms up in the summer. My family needs an adequate supply of drinking water. I’m glad we got what we needed at the right moment. I believe that donating water is a good deed, and I am grateful to UN-Habitat and the Japanese people for their assistance.”
UN-Habitat continues to support the communities in informal settlements by providing updated information about COVID-19 and preventive measures with the support of the Government of Japan.