Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Sector Context
For most of the affected provinces, water and sanitation service provision was not
substantially interrupted. Water is still supplied to households, and despite damage to the
housing infrastructure, most water meters are still calculating the flow of water to
customers’ connections. Damaged pipes in the network, however, do increase the
non-revenue amount of water and contribute to higher losses of revenues. In some areas,
the floods contaminated the groundwater that is used as the drinking water source by
utilities. More treatment at a higher cost is needed to ensure that drinking water quality
standards are maintained.
Based on the damage described in the sections above, reconstruction efforts are focusing
on the reparation of the damage that occurred due to the floods. For urban water supply
systems, this includes the repair and/or replacement of damaged infrastructure such as
pipes, pumps, control panels, buildings, fences, etc. Rural areas mainly have to focus on
repairing or replacing damaged well structures, and mechanical and electrical systems.
Recovery requirements are those related to losses and describe efforts to rehabilitate
basic service provision. That can include, for example, expenditures for chemicals or
microorganisms to treat wastewater that was spilled through the floods, or additional
electricity costs to reestablish the microbiological balance in wastewater treatment ponds.
Key Challenges to Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction
In many cases, simple measures can prevent future damage to the system, such as
storing equipment higher above the ground or building a wall around the facilities to protect
them against future flooding. Improving disaster resilience against future threats, however,
is a more complicated exercise that requires more than just technical measures. Disaster
resilience plans need to be developed in a coordinated and organized manner that builds
on existing best practices, are tailored to local circumstances, and involve a range of
stakeholders.
Recommendations for Resilient Recovery and Reconstruction
Strategy for Short-term Recovery (up to 6 months)
Most urgently within the next six months, priority should be given to rehabilitation and
reconstruction measures that repair infrastructure damage in order to restore services
and prepare utilities against possible future floods on a provisional basis. This includes
repairing highly damaged pipes, repairing and cleaning up wells (including disinfection)
and other water sources, or building a brick or sandbag wall around the facilities. It further
includes securing emergency service provision through increased storage of water for
priority needs. This can include filling up storage facilities with drinking water, which in
a case of service interruption can be delivered to households through tanker trucks or
bottles.
96 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING