Solar Power Helps Water Crisis in Ethiopia

Published on by in Social

Solar Power Helps Water Crisis in Ethiopia

WaterAid Project That Used Solar Power to Save Lives isanIdeal Solution in Remote Areas with No Mains Electricity

Gellabo village lies in one of the remotest pockets of southern Ethiopia, in rural Konso, 600 kilometres from the capital, Addis Ababa. The village has long suffered from a shortage of clean, safe water.

Flow from the nearby spring is too small to supply the surrounding communities and the erratic rainfall affects the availability and quality of other surface water sources. Heavy rainfall from March to May often causes flooding, contaminating the ponds and streams used for drinking water, and water becomes scarce during the long dry season that follows.

The impact of the situation on health is dire. Before WaterAid started working in the area, the open water sources used by the village were shared with cattle, and bacterial and diarrhoeal diseases were common. Illnesses caused by dirty drinking water and a lack of sanitation are the biggest killers of children worldwide, and in Ethiopia more than 33,000 children die from diarrhoea every year before they reach their fifth birthday.

Previous attempts to bring clean water to the area were unsuccessful; there is no electricity to run borehole pumps and refuelling and maintaining diesel-powered generators proved too expensive. However, investing in a water supply system based on solar power and gravity flow provided a sustainable and cost-effective solution to the water crisis faced by the Gellabo village.

A simple but workable and sustainable system

Working with a local partner, Ethiopian Evangelical and Social Services Commission, and members of the community, WaterAid has designed and built a new water supply system. Water is taken uphill using a solar-powered pump and collected in a holding reservoir, before being piped to taps throughout the village via gravity flow.

During a survey of the area, the project team identified a spring with enough flow to supply all the households in the village. Water from the Tsebel spring was tested and once the quality was approved, the spring was capped and a 25cu m storage tank was built to collect the water, preventing contamination from flood water and cattle.

With help from the community, 21 solar panels - 195 watts each - were fixed beside the water tank and a solar submersible pump was installed to pump the water 120 metres uphill to a reservoir at the small town of Turo. Overground pipes (common in rocky terrain like that found in the Konso region) were laid to pipe the water downhill to new taps in the village.

Reflecting on the finished system, WaterAid Ethiopia project manager Fasil Gebremeskel said, "This is a great example of a simple but workable, sustainable and affordable system bringing clean water and associated health benefits to rural communities in Ethiopia."

To ensure the system works in the long term and the community continue to have a regular supply of clean water, the Konso district Water, Mine and Energy Office have committed to regular water quality testing. Ten local women have also been taught plumbing and maintenance skills as part of a female-led Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Cooperative.

Source: Edie

Read More Related Content On This Topic - Click Here

Media

Taxonomy