Installing solar-powered pumps in fragile contexts

Northern Syria remains one of the most complex protracted humanitarian crises, characterised by hostilities, natural disasters, epidemics and displacement compounded by the deterioration of socio-economic conditions. 

Across the region, hundreds of thousands of internally displaced people (IDPs) live in informal or official camps. 

Due to the scarcity of water and the vulnerable situation of IDPs, it is of paramount importance to develop long-term and sustainable solutions to provide water in such context. One of the most standard solutions to move from water trucking to sustainable systems is the implementation of water networks in IDP camps. With an unreliable availability of fuel due to attacks by armed groups, inaccessibility to high-quality standard fuel and that the use of fossil fuels is neither sustainable nor beneficial for the environment, one possibility is solar powered water pumping. 

This learning paper presents the findings of this solution. In 2023, as the main WASH partner for an IDP camp in Northern Syria, Concern installed a water network with solar panels with funding from the European Union.