South Africa: MSF responds to devastating floods as people struggle to access clean water

Approximately 40,000 people have been left homeless by the floods. Many displaced people have been sheltering for days in more than 20 schools, community halls, and churches in the eThekwini region around Durban—few of which have access to electricity, running water, and adequate sanitation for the hundreds of people sheltering there. Living in close quarters without proper sanitation can fuel the spread of waterborne disease outbreaks. Many of these people lost all of their possessions in the floods, including their medications for chronic medical conditions like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), diabetes, and hypertension.

In addition to having distributed much-needed items to 500 people, MSF is working with the provincial and municipal health departments to provide direct medical care. MSF has also installed 25 portable toilets at three shelters and provided four water tanks for potable water storage to guard against disease outbreaks in the aftermath of the floods. MSF will continue providing support to clinics and shelters needing water and sanitation and is working with the authorities to explore the possibility of water treatment solutions, including drilling community boreholes to access clean drinking water.

During community visits, it was apparent to MSF staff that many traumatized people were reeling from the loss of family members and their homes and are in need of mental health counseling. A registered MSF counsellor, as well as several doctors and nurses, have since joined mobile health clinics that are being managed by local health departments. In the coming days, these teams will provide health services to all shelters across the municipality. These medical staff are treating wounds and ensuring people have access to chronic disease medications.

“We are living a daily tragedy,” said Nozipho Sithole, a resident of Ntuzuma community who lost her own home and is now helping to manage the shelter at Ntuzuma Community Hall. “I am so overwhelmed that I struggle to recall my own cellphone number.”

As extreme weather events are on the rise in Southern Africa, more heavy rains are forecasted in KwaZulu-Natal over the coming days, increasing the risk of worsening humanitarian conditions.

MSF has a long presence in South Africa, running many projects focusing on HIV/AIDS, TB, sexual and gender-based violence, and COVID-19. In KwaZulu-Natal, MSF currently runs a TB project in Eshowe.