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The Delta has over eight feet of rainfall a year. Boreholes are expensive to drill and maintain. The entire region is dotted with large scale tanks and boreholes that are defunct and useless. The water level is very shallow and the water drawn polluted. To access clean water the borehole has to be very deep and the logistics are complex.
Diarrhoeal illnesses are rife and carry a high mortality. Rain collection tanks, health education and focus groups are a pivotal public health initiative. The river provides drinking water, burial ground for some, wash house and food stuffs. During the dry season faeces are carried down the centre of the river making the usual practice of drawing drinking water from the faster flowing cebntral current pointless. Cholera is common during the dry Harmattan season around January.
Large Plastic tanks are easily sourced and relatively cheap, light to transport and durable. Equally important is the acceptance of them given many are found in towns and buisness premises to store water .
The site for each tank is made in conjuction with the health care workers knowledge of the community. Issues such as the slightly plastic aftertaste, temperature and appearance have to be addressed in education focus groups. The water passes through a fine filter to prevent insect contamination, and the tanks are regularly reviewed by community workers, cleaned and maintained.
Transport of the tanks is co-ordinated with clinic trips as transport can be as costly as the puchase of each tank given the distances involved. Whilst many rain harvesting models use reinforced ferro-cement the lightness , ease and durability of these plastic tanks are ideal for the logistics of the Delta. Photos of the tanks in transit can be viewed on the News pages.
Work has been done to use ferrous cement construction of tanks by water engineers , but the sand used in cement construction in the delta is unsuitable and the pressure of the water soon cracks the vessel.
New Foundations has supplied two tanks for each community using central sites such a school or community hall. Maintenance is important and a team regularly check the installations , and clean the tanks. Children tampering with the taps is a frequent problem.
Find out more about rainwater harvesting by visiting the WaterAid web site.
HOW CAN WE BUILD A SYSTEM OURSELVES?
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