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Interview with Germany's Disaster Relief Agency

'Clean Water Is the Number One Priority in Myanmar'

Two weeks after Cyclone Nargis, many survivors still have no access to clean water. The German Federal Agency for Technical Relief talks to SPIEGEL ONLINE about their efforts to get water treatment plants up and running in Burma -- and how the junta is hampering their operation.

When it comes to relief efforts in Burma in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, lack of will on the part of the international community is not the problem. State relief agencies and non-governmental organizations from around the world have offered their help to the stricken country, which is also known as Myanmar -- but the ruling junta is making every effort to hamper aid initiatives.

Monday saw a small ray of hope, however, when the junta agreed to let medical teams from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) into the country. An ASEAN-led task force will also be set up to coordinate redistributing foreign aid. The concessions were announced after an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers from ASEAN's 10 member states. However, it is still not clear when the new initiatives will come into force, or how effective they will be.

For staff at Germany's federal disaster relief agency, the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), Monday's decision offers further grounds for hope that their stalled Burma operation will soon get off the ground. The agency has sent six much-needed water treatment plants to the country, along with 17 specialists -- who had to enter the country separately on tourist visas. But so far the Burmese authorities have not allowed THW staff to put the treatment plants into operation.

SPIEGEL ONLINE talks to THW spokesman Ewald Nagel about the agency's efforts to get clean water to survivors of the hurricane -- and the terrible consequences if victims do not get safe water soon.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is the current situation of the THW's operation in Burma?

Ewald Nagel: We have sent six water treatment plants and 17 specialists to the country. They are now in Rangoon. The problem is that the plants, which are currently being stored in the warehouses of the World Food Program, are not yet in operation. The government has not yet given our staff permission to leave Rangoon. But we are working on it.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What will you do if your staff cannot leave Rangoon?

Nagel: We are training local staff of the (German relief organization) Malteser International to use the water treatment plants. They are allowed to leave Rangoon, so if our staff is not given permission to leave the city then they will be able to deploy the water treatment plants on our behalf.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: What is the capacity of the water treatment plants?

Nagel: We have sent two different kinds of plant to Myanmar. Two of the plants are reverse osmosis water purification units which can produce drinking water from salt water. They can each produce 600 liters of water per hour. The other four units are precoat filtration units which can each clean up to 6,000 liters per hour. In total, the six plants can provide clean water for several tens of thousands of people. We also have laboratories to check the quality of the water. The water which we distribute should correspond to European standards. We are also able to repair wells which have been polluted by muddy water.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Why is it so important to get clean water to the storm victims?

Nagel: We think clean water is the number one priority. There's a big danger of an epidemic, for example of cholera, if the survivors don't get clean water. It has been raining in Myanmar, which might help a little, but I'm not sure it's enough.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Has it been difficult working with the Burmese authorities?

Nagel: It hasn't been as easy as we hoped. There's a lot we can't do. The German Foreign Ministry has sent a special envoy to Myanmar, Busso von Alvensleben, who has been dealing with things on our behalf. We have been in contact with the United Nations and have been taking part in lots of meeting. We are still hoping things will work out. We are sure our equipment will leave Rangoon and provide drinking water to victims, but we're not sure our staff will be allowed to operate it.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Your specialists had to enter Burma on tourist visas. Why was that necessary?

Nagel: The government wouldn't let our staff in as official agency workers so we sent them in on tourist visas. The German government made a request on our behalf but the Myanmar government has not accepted it yet, although they have accepted a general offer of help from the European Union. Normally a foreign government has to specifically request our help, via the German Foreign Ministry, before we can go in.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Who are your specialists exactly?

Nagel: Some 99 percent of THW staff are volunteers. Of the specialists in Myanmar, the head of mission is a staff member as are the team's two logistics experts. The other 14 specialists are volunteers. We have 80,000 volunteers who work for us in their free time. They are given leave of absence by their employers. We have doctors, engineers, technicians -- all kinds of people from all sections of society.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: How are your staff coping with the situation?

Nagel: Everybody is doing well, motivation levels are OK. They are staying in a hotel in Rangoon next to the German Embassy. We are managing to stay in contact, mainly by e-mail, although we have had some telephone contact. It's certainly more difficult to stay in contact than it has been in other situations in the past.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: On Monday Burma agreed to let experts from ASEAN member countries into the country. What does that mean for the THW?

Nagel: Until now that has not yet had any effect for us, although hopefully it will. ASEAN will coordinate relief efforts and we hope that we can get our operation going on the ground through that channel. We are still full of optimism.

Interview conducted by David Gordon Smith