In March, we reported our efforts to repair nonfunctioning water wells in Ethiopia amidst severe drought and conflict in the Amhara region of the vast country.
It was on that World Water Day, March 24, that we announced that “our immediate mission is to help repair and rehabilitate 17 hand-dug wells in two Ethiopian woredas (administrative districts) Libo-Kemkem and Guna-Begemder in the Amhara region.”
Today, we are thrilled to report that in the months since then, thanks to the supporters of Bread and Water for Africa®, 17 water wells at community centers have been repaired and today are providing thousands with access to all the clean water they need for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing, as well as to provide to their livestock.
Working with our Ethiopian partner, New Dimension Water Well Drilling PLC in Addis Ababa, the rehabilitation and maintenance work was implemented in seven sites — Chinchoch, Shollaw, Kidste, Diwa, Belgy, Sekela and Adebabay – around Debre Tabor city which were selected in collaboration with Debre Tabor University.
“The repaired water well facilities were nonfunctional for more than two years due to security problems and handling problems,” reported New Dimension. “Over 25,000 community members have been able to benefit from clean drinking water pumps due to the present repair and rehabilitation works on the wells.
In addition, following the repair and rehabilitation of the wells, New Dimension provided vital and critical information to area residents informing them of the repair activities as well as how to keep the wells clean, how to properly treat them with chemicals to ensure they remain sanitary, and even how to make repairs by replacing damaged parts.
At the Debre Tabor sites, “Identifying cracks due to the quality of the first construction or due to management problem was the main diagnostic part of the service,” stated New Dimension.
In these cases, the first task to be undertaken to address this problem was to repair the construction work so that it could be restored to its original shape and condition.
The next step was to clean the well, with New Dimension noting that dirt that accumulates in the well when it remains open for a long time resulting with the water pump being removed and the well developed to increase its discharge capacity.
After the dirt and waste accumulated in the well was cleaned out, the water well was treated with chlorine to eliminate and avoid the various biological pollutants,
Following the cleaning of the well, replacement of damaged pumps with new pumps was established to ensure proper function of the well.
And, then to ensure that long-term viability of the repaired wells, community leaders and members agreed that beneficiaries would pay a token amount for use of the well “to have a sense of ownership of the repaired and rehabilitated wells.
“The user communities decided on a monthly contribution to be used for future repair and maintenance work with the money to be deposited into an account at the Amhara Credit and Saving Institution.
The average cost of repairing and rehabilitating one well was $1,980, a small fortune for impoverished villages in Ethiopia, but no price can be put on the value of having access to clean water, especially for those struggling to survive in the drought-stricken region.
