CLEAN WATER CHANGES A COMMUNITY!!!

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The water supply before.....		... and after.  A hand dug well provided in February 2007 at Omolale, Ausuret

The problem

Water quality is  one of the top issues needing attention in third world countries. It  is a key cause of high incidence of fatal and highly debilitating disease such as typhoid, diarrhoea, worms, bilharzia etc. In so many places, the community is hampered by the need to find water at long distances. The limited amount of water use adds problems of cleanliness and inhibits proper sanitation.

These problems are endemic in rural Teso. The towns have piped water. The rest of the area is dependant on boreholes, wells or surface water such as from lakes, swamps or water holes. Uganda Government surveys show that the majority of the rural population lack access to safe water.

The provision

The government and other agencies such as Water Aid have provided wells, but only on a limited basis. From 1999 - 2008 TDT has funded 39 projects. Our partnership with the Pentecostal Assemblies of God has provided  the following:

6 Boreholes eg at Morekakise, Aciissa, Wera and Kokwech
33 hand dug wells for villages, principally around the Soroti, Serere and Bugondo areas
Water filters for individual families
Water tanks to harvest rain water eg at Ilukor secondary school in Kumi

We estimate that around 15000 people have benefitted from clean water through our programme.

The Project development

The Church is closely involved with the village communities through their network of congregations and local pastors. These will arrange community meetings with input from the Church development team. A location for a well will be identified which will be evaluated with advice from the Local Authority water officer. An assessment will be made of its likely yield. The community discussions include training in hygiene, the process of setting it up and details of its ongoing management including the appointment of a committee, a well keeper and identification of a technician to maintain it.

The well is then dug using labour from the community, who also provide gravel and blocks for lining the shaft. TDT pays for the pump and shaft. If a borehole is needed, the shaft is dug with a drilling rig and completed by the contractor.

On completion of the project and after technical testing, the well or borehole is handed over to the community to manage and maintain.

The impact

Visits often reveal that the community had been using either water from a water hole shared with cattle, or lake water through lack of any alternative supply. The effect of drinking and using this polluted water can only be imagined!!
 
The results of having clean water from community visits by TDT have been:

• a significant improvement in health resulting from the water projects, with a sharp decline in diseases such as Diarrhoea, Typhoid and worms
• In particular, children’s health improves
• The need for women or children to go long distances to collect water is also eliminated
• The kick-starting of  other income improvement projects in the village eg  goat rearing, citrus and bee keeping arising from the communities’ new ability to organise improvement projects
• A vital support to other community health initiatives eg those addressing  HIV/AIDs.

The wells give quality water to many people eg at Kikota, Bugondo a new well benefited 173 households with over 1000 people. At Omulala in Asuret it has supported 40 households with 240 people; at Omo (near Kobwin) 107 households with 600 people; and at Angole, Wera 147 households with 882 people were provided for.

TDT has also assisted a school and a remote community with a water harvesting project which entailed installing a large water tank to collect rain from a suitable large metal roof for dry season supply and contributing to running costs.

The costs

A well or borehole generally costs £5 per person. There are also benefits through improved health and the knock-on effect of stimulating farming.

The future programme

This is a key effective and strategic programme with high impact at low cost. The needs for clean water are still enormous and TDT aims to support the provision of 6 wells and one bore hole a year costing £13,000 in total.

Alternative means of provision through water harvesting are also pursued where suitable eg metal roofs of schools or churches can collect water. These can be very cost effective where they can be done and managed properly to give an important convenient water supply in the dry season.

 Water harvest tank at Ilukor School, Kumi

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