Water and Sanitation
THE CHALLENGE: Provide access to water that is not contaminated.
PROJECT
Boreholes and hand pumps
OPPORTUNITY
Improve hygiene, reduce impact of diseases.
IMPACT
Access to clean water for 6,000 people in seven villages
Wells
Unlike some neighboring countries which are extremely dry, most parts of South Sudan have plenty of water. Much of it is on the surface, in rivers and standing ponds. Almost all of that surface water is contaminated with bacteria and parasites that cause cholera, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, dysentery, malaria and other diseases. Many young children die from waterborne diseases because they have not yet developed immunity.
To survive, people must have access to clean drinking water. For the past seven years, PADA has been working to solve this problem. In Majok Adim, with financial support from Hanti Sidra One Global Family from Canada, we have helped people to avoid drinking surface water by installing eight boreholes with hand pumps.
What we have accomplished
1.
With 8 wells in 7 villages, the distance people must walk and the time they must wait to get clean water has been greatly reduced.
2.
All households are now required to pay a small monthly fee to cover the cost of basic well maintenance
3.
Local residents are receiving training as pump technicians, and will be responsible for maintenance of all pumps in Majok Adim.
THE CHALLENGE: People in the villages, especially young children, were suffering and dying from a variety of water-borne diseases.
PROJECT
Bio Sand Water Filters
OPPORTUNITY
Improve hygiene, reduce impact of diseases.
IMPACT
1,000 people in 7 villages
Filters
Biosand filters were identified as a quality solution. Kolong attended a training course in Calgary, Alberta to learn how to construct and maintain these filters. The materials used to construct the filters, cement, sand etc. were all readily available in South Sudan and neighboring countries. Kolong recruited workers in the villages for on-site construction and delivery of filters. With support from the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology (CAWST), a Canadian organization, workers were trained to check homes regularly to ensure maintenance and proper operation of the filters so they could be used for many years. The other component of training was around sanitation and hygiene, washing of hands, eating, implements etc.
The filters as they were built and maintained by the community, were an excellent example of self-reliance. Under a barter system called "Bricks for Filters", villagers were able to "buy" a filter by supplying 600 bricks for other village projects such as schools and a clinic.
The biosand filters further improve even well water, eliminating all parasites, about 97% of all bacteria and over 90% of viruses. They are also a good option for people living far from any well and using water that would otherwise be unsafe.
Design of the biosand water filter.
What we have accomplished
1.
At least 200 households with more than 1,000 inhabitants now have biosand water filters in Majok Adim, funded by Hanti Sidra One Global Family from Canada.
2.
A team of women visits homes to instruct in the use and maintenance of the filters and in basic hygiene and sanitation creating jobs and self sufficiency.
3.
PADA has expanded the program by manufacturing and installing bio sand water filters in other parts of South Sudan, such as Terekeka State, near Juba, and the Wau area, with financial support from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and UN Habitat.