Shortly after deadly floods affected nearly 6.9 million people across Pakistan, the nation’s interior was struck by the opposite extreme: a severe drought and an alarming water shortage. Many families still depend on unsafe groundwater, and environmental pressures such as rising salinity, declining water sources, and erratic rainfall.
Action Against Hunger responded with multisectoral support across Sindh to help families maintain agency while combatting environmental challenges beyond their control. In the Thatta district of Sindh alone, interventions transformed lives across 15 villages, reaching 1,376 households and more than 7,000 individuals with over 1.3 million liters of clean drinking water. Alongside this, hygiene kit distributions and awareness sessions have strengthened families’ abilities to adopt safer water, sanitation, and hygiene practices. These crucial steps go beyond immediate relief to strengthen long-term health and nutrition outcomes.
Seema’s Story: Living With the Health Consequences of Unsafe Water
Families in Pakistan face a daily struggle for water. Not only is water scarce, but it is also unsafe and can leave lasting impacts on their health. A recent study found that most of Pakistan’s drinking water does not meet World Health Organization standards. The issue is particularly severe in Sindh, where E. coli was found in 20% of samples.
To make matters worse, health facilities in Sindh are often distant and expensive. People become sick from the lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) essentials, and then they find it nearly impossible to access care.
Seema is a 21-year-old mother of two who has been personally affected by the unsafe water. She suffers from painful kidney stones, which doctors attribute to years of consuming hard, contaminated water. She and her family have been experiencing repeated illnesses, and their health costs are rising.
Seema Sabir and her two children.
Action Against Hunger teams support families like Seema’s by distributing clean drinking water and hygiene kits to improve her community’s overall health and hygiene practices. She has received soap, water storage containers, and other essential items to help ensure a safe, hygienic environment for her and her children.
Seema is determined to protect her children and other people in her community from the dangers of unsafe drinking water. Having attended school through eighth grade, she is respected as one of the most educated women in the community. She now raises awareness about good maternal and child health, hygiene, and immunization practices.
“I do not want my children to be exposed to contaminated water. I suffer from kidney stones, and I don’t want anyone else to go through the same,” she says.
Seema uses resources from Action Against Hunger to support her community’s health.
Ismail Sheikh Village: Improving Health Through Safe Water Access
In Ismail Sheikh village, children had long suffered from frequent skin diseases and rashes, which were commonly attributed to a combination of contaminated water and exposure to the harsh sun.
Prolonged drought and limited access to clean water create compounding problems for families in Pakistan.
Action Against Hunger intervened with safe water and hygiene awareness programs, through which residents received essential supplies like hygiene kits and attended educational sessions to improve health and sanitation practices.
With the installment of a water tanker, villagers no longer have to walk long distances to find clean water or rely on unsafe well water. Children can now fill containers directly from a safe, reliable drinking source.
Action Against Hunger’s Water Tanker Initiative is ensuring drought-affected families have access to safe water.
Kaz Bano’s Story: Protecting Livestock and Family Nutrition During Drought
There is a critical link between clean water, livelihoods, and nutrition. As groundwater in Pakistan turns saline [containing high concentrations of dissolved salts] from the lack of rain, crops wither and livelihoods collapse. Families are unable to access clean water, grow food, or generate income to purchase food and water elsewhere. As a result, illness and hunger spread.
Kaz Bano was at risk of losing her livestock last year when extreme drought damaged crop yields, impacting the supply of fodder [animal feed]. As a widow, she has to support herself and her four children with a small herd of goats and buffalo. The animals typically supplied enough milk for them to drink and extra to sell, but without fodder to sustain the herd, Kaz’s livelihood and her family’s health were under threat.
Kaz Bano supports her family with a small herd of goats and buffalo.
Action Against Hunger began distributing fodder as part of its Drought and Heatwave Response in Sindh Province, and Kaz was able to regain her footing. With a regular supply of feed, her animals are now healthier and produce more milk, which has provided a vital source of income and helped her meet her household’s nutritional needs.
Kaz Bano feeds her goats with fodder from Action Against Hunger’s Drought and Heatwave Response.
