LBA: Projects - Protected water sources

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Protected water sources by LittleBIG Africa

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Imagine walking 12kms a day with the equivalent of your airline luggage allowance (20kgs) on your head. For many children in Uganda, this is the only way they know of accessing water for their families. For the lucky ones, this will at least be clean water, though for 44% of Ugandans, the water they collect is unsafe for human consumption.

This however is simple to change.

So far, LBA has protected 22 Water Tanks.
By the end of 2010, it hopes to have constructed at least 8 more.

The real picture of unprotected water sources:

People often share these water sources with animals that also graze from the same water source.
As surface water runs into the source, it contaminates the water.
People often have to stand in the water to collect enough water.
Some sources are so shallow, people scoop water with a cup to collect enough water.
If a cup of 300 ml is used, someone will need to scoop over 60 times to fill their jerrycan.
Many sources are stagnant and therefore breed algae and lava.
It is common to find frogs and other insects in the water.
Many springs are seasonal and dry up outside of the wet season.

What is a protected water source?

A protected water source means that water is trapped from underground, before it has surfaced, and therefore before it can be contaminated, and channelled through to a pipe where the clean water can easily be collected.

The �eye� of the spring is located, where the water first surfaces. This area is dug out and protected with boulders and clay to filter the water. A pipe connects this area, which is underground, to a walled area which is constructed so people can easily collect water. A channel is also constructed for the run-off water so it does not remain stagnant attracting mosquitoes.

The water that comes out of the protected water source is available all year round. It is clean, safe drinking water, available to a whole village.

LBA also conducts sensitisation with schools and communities to teach them how to ensure this water stays clean and safe once it has been collected.

A protected water source can greatly improve the health of a community, reducing on water-borne and water-related diseases.

Less illness means less time spent absent from school or work; less valuable money spent on medicines; reduction in child mortality and of course, improvement in health for all the family.

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