Safe water

The Need

Hand washing with soap is one of the simplest ways to keep children healthy, as well as being a key preventive measure for COVID-19. But for the communities of Kabingo and Kyehunde in western Uganda, where searching for clean water was a daily challenge, hand washing was perceived as a waste of valuable water.

Compassion’s frontline church partners in Kabingo and Kyehunde serve a total of 580 children and their families. There was a dire need in these communities for access to safe water, as they were not connected to the national water grid and had been collecting water from unsafe sources. In Kabingo, community members were relying on undependable rainwater harvesting and a protected spring more than three kilometres away from the church. Residents of Kyehunde were also walking more than three kilometres to fetch water from a deadly river, where more than 20 people have drowned or been killed by crocodiles over the last five years. Most adults in these communities are peasant farmers or casual workers who simply don’t earn enough to raise funds for clean water access or other amenities. Without readily available water, they were also struggling to maintain their crops and keep their animals healthy.

The lack of safe water in these two communities was also creating costly problems for our local church partners. Without clean water to use for cleaning and cooking on centre days, staff members and children were vulnerable to illness. Churches were also spending large amounts of their budget on medical treatment for beneficiaries suffering from waterborne diseases like typhoid, as well as skin infections. To ensure the sustainability of their programming and keep children and their families safe and healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic, these churches needed an intervention.

Our Response

With your generous support, we provided a safe and sustainable water source for 580 children and their families in Kabingo and Kyehunde—a total of 5,246 people.

As of our last report, construction was well underway in both communities. In Kabingo, the construction of the sedimentation tank, trenching of the transmission main, construction of the tank base, pipe laying, backfilling and installation of the overhead tanks had all been completed. Water quality tests were conducted and the water was confirmed to be fit for domestic use by the Ministry of Water and Environment. The church had also confirmed that water could flow from the source to the reservoir purely through gravity without needing to be pumped, allowing for distribution to a wider community through three reservoirs. Since that last report, tap stands and testing the line have both been completed. Safe running water is now readily available at the church and is being used in the community.

In Kyehunde, the church decided to pump water from a spring three kilometres away, as high contamination rates in the lake would have made it too expensive to treat the water. The new route was surveyed and approved, and the water yield from the spring was determined to be very good, at around 4,000 litres per hour. As of the last report, a sump pump, 30,000-litre reservoir and solar panels had been installed. Trenching, pipe laying and backfilling for the transmission main have now also been completed. The church also procured the land where the water source is located to enhance local ownership and for sustainability purposes. The distribution lines are now fully complete. A water pump and tap stands have been installed, and the line has been tested. In collaboration with community public health workers, the church conducted water management and hygiene and sanitation training sessions for community members.

Activities

Planning and supply delivery: With COVID-19 protocols in place, churches hosted meetings that included the District Water Engineer, Program Support Specialist and community members to plan this initiative, inspect the proposed water source, clarify roles and secure community support. Due to high transport costs, each contractor purchased all transmission and distribution pipes in one lot. This also ensured that construction could proceed efficiently without any delays.

Construction: Construction proceeded smoothly in both communities, with engineers on site to monitor progress and inspect the work. Community members were actively engaged and supported the contractor by helping to dig the trenches. In Kyehunde, the completed trenching works were inspected by the district water engineer, ensuring that all work had been done to standard.

Completed control room: At the facility in Kyehunde, the control room for the pump and solar panel regulators is spacious enough for a security guard, who will be taking care of the system.

Filling the tank: After plumbing work had been completed, the reservoir tanks were filled and water was made available to the community.

Your Gift Provides...

Kyehunde Child Development Centre gravity water system:

• Supplies, transportation, construction and plumbing for a water reservoir tank, water pump system and pump protection house, including:
○ Iron bars, binding wire, nails, plywood, timber, waterproof cement, sand, bricks, tapping joints, pipes, sockets, control valves, adaptors, connectors
○ Trenches from source to reserve tank
○ Transport and labour

Kabingo Child Development Centre gravity water system:

• Construction of sedimentation tank at the source, including:
○ Clay bricks, cement, sand
○ 2 kilometres of pipe work
• Construction of main reservoir with a capacity of 113,040 litres, including:
○ Bricks, sand, cement, iron bars, welded mesh, binding wire
○ Land for main reservoir
○ Excavation for underground tank
• Construction of 30,000-litre rest tank section, including:
○ Basements, tanks, tank fittings, tap systems
• Technical supervision and inspection
• Technical and manual labour