The Lango Safe Water Project ensures that rural communities in the Lango region in Northern Uganda have access to safe water and builds their capacity to maintain their safe water sources for years to come. In Lango, access to safe water is a major challenge; boreholes to access groundwater often fall into disrepair due to a lack of funding or training for their maintenance. Having no safe water access forces communities to use unsafe sources such as streams to get their water - which has to be boiled to make it safe. To boil the water, communities collect and burn firewood, which places greater pressure on dwindling forests and produces CO2 emissions. It also creates a burden for women and children, who typically spend hours every day collecting firewood and water. And even so, boiling water does not always guarantee that it is safe to drink, so waterborne diseases continue to afflict the community.
In this project, boreholes are rehabilitated by skilled technicians, and water quality testing is conducted to ensure that the water is safe to drink. Local communities are supported in forming Water Resource Committees (WRCs) which are responsible for ensuring the ongoing maintenance of the borehole in the community and surrounding areas. The WRCs are able to conduct minor repairs to the boreholes, but a regular maintenance programme is conducted by technicians and CO2balance staff to address any more major problems in borehole functionality. WASH trainings are also delivered to train communities in hygiene and sanitation techniques, which is reinforced by ongoing support from WRCs.
To date, the boreholes rehabilitated through the project have brought clean water to over 40,000 people throughout Lango. Almost 100% of people living in targeted communities use the rehabilitated boreholes for the majority of their water needs. For borehole users, it is no longer necessary to boil water in order to make it safe, thereby eliminating a source of CO2 emissions. Users also benefit from reduced exposure to waterborne disease and save hours every day that would have been spent collecting water from faraway sources, thereby allowing for time to be invested in other more productive activities.
Project impacts and benefits:
- Approximately 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions reductions generated per year (across 10 micro-scale projects)
- 40,109 individuals have gained access to safe water, reducing exposure to waterborne illness
- Households spend approximately 90 minutes less per day collecting water, as compared to before the project
- Increased opportunities to engage in income generating activities due to time saved
- Reduced school absenteeism due to reduced exposure to waterborne disease
Contact:
Telephone: +44 1823 332 233
Email: projects@co2balance.com
Website: www.co2balance.com
