Afghan Refugee Camp
Two new boreholes and portable off-grid filters for 5,000+ Afghan refugees in Islamabad.
Islamabad (H-12 & I-12)
Project history
Sectors H-12 and I-12 in Islamabad have been home to more than 5,000 Afghan refugees for almost 25 years. Initially they relied on municipal pipelines that also supplied nearby urban societies; as the urban population grew, access to these pipelines was banned. The community then depended on three hand-operated wells and a borehole whose water tested unfit for drinking.
5,000+
people served
Islamabad (H-12 & I-12)
Islamabad (H-12 & I-12)
Before PAKVITAE
Major challenges
- Water supply relies primarily on three hand-operated wells and a borehole.
- The underground water table is polluted with faecal contamination and unfit for drinking.
- Open defecation, poor hygiene practices and dirty jerrycans and containers.
- Shallow wells carry a high amount of particulate matter.
- 90% of the settlement lacks access to electricity, so wells and the borehole are operated by hand.
- Mechanical pumping leads to shortages for a community of thousands.
- Bacteria and pathogens cause diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
- Particulate matter has been linked to kidney-stone cases in children aged 1–12.
“Because of the construction of boreholes and distribution of filters, now our families can have access to clean drinking water, which has enabled us to send our kids to school and ensure their health.”
Memories from the project
Our solution
Two boreholes + off-grid filters
Construction of two new boreholes
New boreholes (depth 90–110 ft) mitigate the water shortage. Wells are seasonal but boreholes are not — giving a constant, abundant supply. Borehole water is around 60% cleaner with no particulate matter, meaning more clean water for domestic use and longer filter life.
Portable off-grid water filters
Filters distributed to households need no electricity — essential where 90% of families lack a constant power supply — and remove the bacteria and pathogens behind diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
Water shortage
Hand-operated wells could not serve 5,000+ people.
Water quality
Primary sources tested unfit for drinking.
No electricity
No electric pumps or filters were feasible.
Bring clean water to your community
Let’s plan your project — survey, testing, installation and training included.