Sylvain Mousset, Veolia service manager in Narbonne, spent three weeks in Chad with the High Commission for Refugees on a Veoliaforce mission at the heart of camps for displaced persons and refugees. Here's his story.
You joined David Maisonneuve, another Veoliaforce expert, to continue an audit on improving access to water in refugee camps near Farchana. How did the mission go?
Sylvain Mousset: David had visited 7 camps and prioritized four where we were likely to have an impact - in other words, to bring more water to more people. As soon as I arrived, I went into the details of the recommendations made for the first camp - Metche - to check them out in the field. On the one hand, we're told that such and such a borehole has been dug, and that the pipe has such and such a diameter. And what we see in the field tells us... something else! So we have to design infrastructures on the basis of data - flow and pressure measurements - which have to be verified, and which can vary depending on whether we're in the dry or rainy season.
Is designing a network for a camp very different from designing one for another environment?
SM: You have to adapt to the topographical and human environment. Let me explain: you see a hill a little further away? Perfect for building reservoirs that you'd have to raise if you installed them elsewhere. It saves money and reallocates budget. Are you starting work on part of the network? You need to anticipate where the camp is likely to spread, so that current events don't catch up with you too quickly. In just a few months, an influx of refugees from one region or another can change the situation.
What was the most difficult part of your job?
SM: My greatest difficulty was... managing my frustration! When you have to allow between two and four hours to cover 30 km by car... When you make a four-hour journey and a river in flood finally prevents you from reaching the camp you were supposed to go to.... A U-turn and a lost day. In short, the hazards of a less accessible environment than others. You learn to deal with it, you adapt, and you discover you're capable of more patience than you thought :-).
What surprised you?
SM: We're both very focused on making reliable field surveys that we can rely on, even from a distance, for our recommendations, and inevitably touched when children seek contact and talk to you. What's more, this mission came at an important time in my professional life, when I was wondering about my future. A mission like this brings its share of answers. My greatest satisfaction will be to see a photo of the tanks built: it will be the best demonstration of our usefulness.