Project Intervention

The CWI in collaboration with Zukpuri Community Water and Eco-sanitation Care, a community based organization intervened to solve the poor access to water by building on indigenous knowledge in potable water supply. The group made up mostly of young women and men started by first learning the traditional art and science in hydrogeological survey and deep well drilling. Usually, the traditionalist will conduct geological and topographical surveys along potential areas that allows for groundwater availability using certain weed indicators. Groundwater is usually stored within joints and fractures that occur in bedrock and in the decomposed zones that overlie the bedrock. Using two sticks that are crossed, the water man will walk along the lines until he reaches a point where one stick falls. If this occurs several times then a potential aquifer was delineated.

After learning the traditional art and science in hydrogeological survey, the project sponsored two men and three women to learn the drilling of wells with casing and screen, pump test (discharge and recovery) water quality test and hand pump and water caretaking. These young people returned to the village as Rural Water Engineers and started drilling and lining wells using communal labour. The first well with hand pump was successfully drilled at Zukpuri and the approximate yield of the well from the quality of water brought was 10l/min. Afridev hand pumps was installed to pump water into a water reservoir and filtered with that and three community member were trained in the community to maintain the facility.

Implementation Challenges

The initial problems that were encountered in the provision of hand pumped wells was the high cost in lining of the wells and acquisition of hand pumps. To overcome this obstacle, the project assisted the Rural Engineers to purchase basic water equipment including well drilling tools, block and lining moulding machines that could make concrete block and moulds to line the wells. Another obstacle was the acquisition of the improved pumps. The trained rural engineers used scrap metals, PVC pipes and old lorry tyres to make water hand pumps that could pump clean water from the wells at relatively faster rates. The technology has reduced the cost of constructing hand pumped wells by 45 per cent. The Rural Engineers have stepped up their operations and can make better pumps and trained the rural groups on the repair of the pumps.

Project Impact

Low Cost Affordable Technology in Improved Drinking Water Supply

? The project has introduced the construction of low-cost and affordable technologies in the provision of potable water supply and the management and delivery of water facility all year round in the area. Local skills have been developed in the operation and maintenance of potable water supply. The technology has reduced the cost of providing potable water facility by 45 per cent through the conventional drinking water providers, thereby enabling the more communities to be provided with improved drinking water facility.

? Ten members of the trained and certified rural water infrastructure managers have secured permanent job of managing potable water in the community. About a month ago they were taken to Erbium (a village about 30 km away) to assist in the establishment of community water system.

Increased Access to Improved Drinking Water

? A total of 5,400 people in the Zukpuri traditional area have access to potable water supply. Each person in the area has access to not less than 20 litres of potable water per day and the walking distance to the water facility does not exceed 500 metres from the furthest house in the community. Each 300 persons are served by one pipe system. Water collection workload on the part of women and children has been reduced by 60 per cent. These indicators are a marked improvement over accessibility to potable water supply in the area.

Water Quality Monitoring

? Members of the Water Management Committee and the Rural Engineers have been trained in water quality monitoring and sanitation management. This awareness created will reduce the incidence of water and sanitation related diseases in the traditional area.

Effective Use of Water

Each water stand is connected to a trough that stores waste water from the pipes. The women farmers use the waste water stored to water their gardens and animals, thereby minimizing the rate of animal theft which was associated with shepherding the animals to long distances in fetch of water and grass.

The availability of potable water facilities has increased community confidence and given them a new sense of life. There has been a marked improvement in school going, especially of the girl-child. Children are now seen playing around the compounds and now has more fun now than before. According to one mother, their children now shower everyday.

Ten women engaged in shea butter processing now have access to potable water that is used to improve on the quality of the shea butter to meet export demand.

Improvement in Water Quality
Water analysis results from the Water Research Institute indicated that the water quality within the Zukpuri traditional areas was now within the WHO guidelines as follows:

Table 2.3 Water Quality Results

Parameter Unit Value WHO Guidelines
Turbidity NTU 19.8 5
Colour Hz 10 15
pH PH 6.7 6.5-8.5
Chloride Mg/l 4806 250
Sulphate Mg/l 25.6 250

Hajia Abibata, Magazia of the Zukpuri traditional area summarized the impact of the water project when she said that:

? now Zukpuri drinks good water, available at our door steps. My children go to school early everyday; I have more time to process quality shea butter for the export market. My children do not get sick quick and my brothers from the city can visit the village and stay for many days. My husband and I get enough water for dry season gardening. We are very grateful for this new life?.(Madam Abibata, Magazia of Zukpuri, March 2009)