Afghanistan Daily News - December 31, 2008

Team Combats Waterborne Illness in Afghan Province By Army 1st Lt. Amber Balken Special to American Forces Press Service

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 31, 2008 – Doctors and medics with the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Zabul province are teaching medical providers to purify water and reduce waterborne illnesses. Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Bill Errico of the provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan’s Zabul province, shows Iraqi doctors how to use a water purification machine. The PRT medical team donated water purification systems to hospitals throughout the province. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Mary Costello   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. PRT members taught five medical providers in Shajoy district how to operate, clean and sustain a new water purification machine provided by the PRT. The team's goal is to provide the doctors with the means to enable Zabul residents to purify their own water, officials said. The purification machine, a sodium hypochlorite generator, transforms salt and water into a solution that purifies nonpotable water. The machine generates the solution in about eight hours from 10 pounds of salt and 40 gallons of water, taken from a well or river, officials said. One tablespoon of solution purifies four gallons of water. Providers at the Shajoy hospital plan to use the machine to make the solution and distribute it to local families to purify their drinking water. The solution kills 99.9 percent of the bacteria that cause diarrhea and death, officials said. More than half of all illnesses in the province are diarrhea-related, officials said. The purified water is projected to reduce the diarrhea rate in the province to 25 percent. "This is a very sustainable machine," Air Force Capt. (Dr.) Bill Errico, with the PRT, said. "This process is easy, relatively

inexpensive and something that each Afghan household can do to keep their family healthy."

Along with Shajoy, the PRT also plans to provide three more machines to other locations in Zabul province.

(Army 1st Lt. Amber Balken works in the Zabul province’s provincial reconstruction team public affairs office.)

Afghan National Police makes progress in Tarin Kowt

KABUL, Afghanistan - For the first time, the Afghan National Police in Tarin Kowt trained alongside the Dutch Police Mentoring Team. The exercise at the headquarters of the district gave the mentoring team the opportunity to speak to Police commander Musa Khan.

The team leader of the Police Mentoring Team in Tarin Kowt, Sergeant First Class Roy, spoke highly about the cooperation with the Afghan National Police.

“There is definitely progress. The headquarters looks really good and there are enough policemen present to make a difference in this area,” he said. “They are all dressed in the same uniforms and are well equipped for the task.  Although we as a team have to improvise sometimes, I am very positive about the future.”