PESHAWAR, July 31: The Danish Committee for Aid to Afghan Refugees (Dacaar), an NGO, has handed over its hand-pump manufacturing unit, situated in Swabi, to a local organization.

The factory was established in 1987 to produce low-cost hand pumps for refugees and rural communities, according to a press release issued on Friday.

The handing over of the factory took place during a ceremony attended by the representatives of Dacaar, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Unicef, and the NWFP industries department.

Initially, the factory was likely to be closed down after Dacaar finished its relief programme in Pakistan and moved to Kabul. However, Unicef and the UNHCR decided to engage a local organization to take over the unit and avoid its closure and subsequent joblessness of its employees.

The Water and Environmental Sanitation Network would run the unit under the name of 'Swabi hand pumps factory' and work in collaboration with the provincial authorities concerned, says the release. The WESN is a network of water and sanitation sector organizations carrying out activities with the support of the local government and the rural development department.