Video series: Water and habitat, in conflict and disaster

2013 marks the 30th anniversary of the ICRC’s Water and Habitat Unit. Their engineers help ensure that people have access to this vital resource using affordable technologies and sustainable solutions. A series of videos explains how the ICRC brings water, shelter and sanitation to people affected by conflict and disaster.

Water and habitat: Responding to emergencies

People arrive in IDP or refugee camps in desperate need of food, water and shelter. ICRC water and habitat staff build safe, healthy places for them to stay, working alongside them. Our massive logistics system enables us to send materials and staff quickly, while the trust that our donors place in us gives us the flexibility to react.

Water and habitat: Protecting health and dignity in prisons

ICRC water and habitat staff work with prison authorities and inmates to ensure that prison infrastructure provides healthy, dignified conditions. 

Water and habitat: Building hospitals. And rebuilding them.

Conflict and disaster often leave hospitals in ruins. In Afghanistan, Somalia, Haiti and countless other countries, ICRC engineers erect temporary clinics, rebuild hospitals damaged by war or disaster and build brand-new ones from scratch, enabling health personnel to save lives. 

Water and habitat: Water and war in towns and cities

How the ICRC works with communities around the world to bring water to towns and cities hit by crisis. 

Water and habitat: Delivering life-saving water in the countryside

In rural areas, water is often scarce, of poor quality and difficult to collect, especially during a conflict. ICRC water and habitat engineers help ensure that people have access to this vital resource using affordable technologies and sustainable solutions.