KAZI MUZURI! (Good job!)

In response to the question, “How is this project affecting your life?” a female beneficiary jokingly responded, “Can you also provide us with some pain killers?”  She quickly went on to add that the hard work in the water pans (and the monthly food received) was “worth it” – but she was certainly identifying how hard the work is!  Hers is one of the fortunate water pans that is already partially filled with water and which she can use to meet her family’s needs.

In last week’s blog we described what a water pan is.  Here now are the step by step instructions, complete with pictures, on how a water pan is constructed:

1) Find a strategic location – an area that will capture the surface water (or streams) during the rainy seasons.

2) Clear the area of all rocks, debris, thorn bushes, and trees (complete with roots).

3) Remove and discard one foot of topsoil which is usually too soft to be used for the retaining wall.

4) Start excavating the pan, simultaneously using the excavated dirt to start the retaining wall around three-quarters of the pond.

5) Continue excavating the pan to a depth of ten feet.

6) Build up the wall to a width of 10 feet, ‘ramming’ all of the dirt firmly in place and creating a strong slope on both sides around the perimeter of the water pan.

7) Ensure there is a good ‘spillway’ to allow the excess water to escape so that the walls will not be breached.

One of our blog responders asked how clean/safe this water is. We have learned that the colour of the water is not a good indicator of its purity. The surface water runs over lots of brush and grass which partially filters it. Filters are also sometimes placed along the entry channels to keep out silt, debris and brush. For water pans that have a pump, the pumped water passes through a charcoal filtering. If there is no pump, people often boil the water and others add a tablet to the water which kills some of the bacteria.

Another important step in preventing contamination is the building of latrines far away from the pan. While latrines can keep human waste away from the water, animals are another issue. This water is intended for human consumption. If animals come to drink from it, they may wade into the water and contaminate it so that it isn’t ideal for humans anymore. Some communities have planned security to keep herds away from the pan until they are able to build a strong fence around it. We have heard, however, that elephants in a few areas do not respect this rule or the security person.

Overall the answer to the above question regarding the safety of this water is that we don’t have scientific data, yet, to really know. However, many of these communities are accustomed to drinking surface water collected in natural ponds during rainy seasons, usually without any filtration. The water pans provide much more reliable access to local water sources and may incorporate some degree of filtration or protection over time. From our personal experience, we see that the local people drink the water and we have been told that they do so without any apparent negative affect.

 

Some of the stage two pans that were started in a previous project have a tap or pump to provide easier access to the water in the pan. However, most people gather the water by using a long stick with a small container attached to it and pour it into a larger bucket or Jerry can. One of the future plans by some water committees is to ask each person who makes use of this community water pan to ‘pay’ for their water by removing a specified amount of soil, thus continuing to increase the size and depth (capacity) of the pan.

Our baseline survey indicated that beneficiaries walk an average of 75 minutes (one way) to reach a water source and then have to wait another 60 minutes to get their water (depending on the source, there are long line ups). It is our hope that there will be a significant improvement in these numbers and a great deal of relief and comfort for the people.

We have assured these people that their Christian sisters and brother will continue to pray for rain to fill their water pans!

NOTE: In case you are not aware, most of the pictures in our blog stories can be enlarged for better viewing by clicking on the actual photo.