Shev Baluka is an extension neighbourhood located in the South-Eastern part of Sheikhan town. It is a new neighbourhood that began to develop as a reaction to the IS crisis. Most of its inhabitants are internally displaced persons from Ninawa Governorate, who were joined by some host community families from the surrounding villages. The local community is predominantly Muslim of Arab or Kurdish ethnic background.
Due to its emergency origins, the local government lacked resources and time to provide the Shev Baluka neighbourhood with sufficient and good quality public services.
According to the Sheikhan Municipality masterplan, a total of 270 houses were planned to be built in Shev Baluka neighbourhood including the provision of water and electricity. In reality some families share a single plot (two houses built on one plot). This increase in houses puts extra pressure on public services, including the water supply. If these practices continue, it is expected that a total of around 460 houses will be built in the Shev Baluka neighbourhood over the next five years.
A demonstration project area was selected jointly with the Directorate of Water Outskirts in Duhok considering current and future demand for water in Sheikhan. The MASAR-PCPM team first conducted a technical survey of the existing water supply network and collected additional surveying data through drone mapping of the neighbourhood.
Findings and possible solutions were presented and discussed with the staff of the Directorate of Water Outskirts. The participants jointly opted for the following MASAR support:
• Training for the Directorate of Water Outskirts engineers on water supply design and analysis with the use of computer software
• The construction of two water boreholes, including submersible pumps and electrical connection with sterilisation systems
• The construction of two permanent operation/pumps rooms
• The construction and installation of a 1400 metre length water network
• The construction of an electrical line to power the pumps
• An awareness campaign on water conservation – leaflets distributed door-to door.
The completed water network connected the two water boreholes with the existing water network and improved the water supply inside the Shev Baluka neighbourhood. The provision and installation of the two pumps and the sterilisation devices for both water boreholes and installation of the main electrical line (24 hours electricity) significantly improved the quality of the water supplied.
As a result, 146 families now have access to sufficient water of good quality with the water network now having the extended capacity to provide water for a total of 600 families, which will cover the needs of the expanding settlement in Shev Baluka and surrounding neighbourhoods.
