Patrick Eychenne, who has worked for Veolia since 1996, completed the Veoliaforce training course in 2022. His departure for Pakistan gave him his first exposure to humanitarian work in a post-emergency situation.
What exchanges did you have with the Pakistanis during your mission?
Patrick Eychenne: The timing of the deployment was very particular: we arrived in the field at the beginning of October when the floods had started during the summer. The people, at least in the Nowshera district where we were, were trying to get on with their lives. Our intervention allowed them to drink water, which they probably hadn't done for weeks. We sensed a lot of interest and curiosity from the inhabitants of the villages where we deployed the Aquaforces 2000.
Had you already participated in missions abroad?
PE: Yes, in Burkina Faso and Benin, but these were development projects. The emergency and even post-emergency work in Pakistan is very different, if only because of the daily collaboration with an NGO such as Médecins Sans Frontières. It was a real discovery for me and a great experience: the teams work hand in hand, all the logistics and security are perfectly managed by MSF. There is no room for the slightest moment of doubt and this allows us to concentrate on the essential: access to water.
How did you anticipate your absence in France?
PE: The mission goes all the better when you know that everything is managed in France, at home and at work. My line manager supported me, my colleagues agreed to take my on-call duty, in short, I was on a mission but part of the agency was with me.
What is your assessment of such a mission?
PE: That you have to know how to adapt constantly, to the priority needs that can vary from one day to the next, as well as to the cultural environment. When everything is closed because it's Sunday, you just have to accept that you're not going to be able to do what you had imagined. When you have to train someone to use the Aquaforces in a week when they know nothing about our business, it's a real challenge and requires a great deal of flexibility and pragmatism. In short, it's never perfect but when it's good, it's already fabulous.
Interviewed on 15 December 2022