Maslah Mumin | BORESHA Project
Water they say is life, free of cost like breathing air, but when the commodity becomes all you need to survive, rarely will the thoughts of even good food cross your mind. For most of us safe water means water that will not make us sick if we drink it. The importance of access to clean drinking water cannot be overstated. According to the World Health Organization, millions of people die every year from diseases caused by inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene. Other than pneumonia, diarrhea is the main cause of death in children under five.
Lost hours
We meet Alio Abdi, a 54-year-old father of seven children from Banissa in Mandera County, Kenya. He is a member of the Qatis Village water management committee. We meet him at the newly constructed water tank in the village courtesy of the BORESHA project. Mr.Aliow began painfully narrating the havoc caused by the lack of clean safe water in the village and the arduous journey they have had to make on a daily basis in order to access this precious commodity. Before BORESHA’s intervention, access to clean safe drinking water was a nightmare for the community members of Qatis village in Mandera County, the women and girls were the most affected due to the ascribed gender roles, they would occasionally be joined by young boys. Every single day without fail these women would walk for more than 10 km round trip to the nearest water source overcoming several challenges. “Collecting water takes time. Simply to get water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and other household needs, we spend hours every day traveling to water sources, waiting in line, and carrying heavy loads several times a day and often that water is not clean and safe for human consumption, we could be focusing these lost man hours to be productive” says Alio.
Support
Access to safe water, adequate sanitation and hygiene promotion are all equally important; a combination of these elements is required to maintain and improve health and dignity. To prevent the spread of water-borne diseases and help improve hygiene and sanitation standards, BORESHA is working on rebuilding and rehabilitating boreholes and larger water points in Mandera. In Qatis village we constructed a new underground water tank of 250 M3, installation of an elevated water tank of 10,000 litre capacity and solar pumping system serving and estimated household population of 3,142 (9,062 Male, 9,792)
“When BORESHA came and provided clean water, our community changed forever. They set up two water points so we could get our water from there and we could be sure it was clean” says Alio. Safe access to clean water improves the lives of an entire community but most of all, it improves the quality of life for women and girls, as the chore of fetching water falls on them in this traditional society.
Water Committee
Before the BORESHA project committed to building a water point in the village, it made sure a viable management system could be set up with community members. A management committee, which consists of six members from the village, oversees the operation and maintenance of the water point and handles the accounts related to the income generated from selling water. It ensures that the investment made in the water point will live on for generations and will not be misused or become another white elephant. “My community members and I will have more time and energy to take care of our family as well as our farming activities,” says Alio. “Our grandchildren will not suffer all the pains we went through.”
COVID19
Safely managed water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services are an essential part of preventing and protecting human health during infectious disease outbreaks, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. One of the most cost-effective strategies for increasing pandemic preparedness, especially in resource-constrained settings like in the cross-border areas we operate in, is investing in public health infrastructure, including water and sanitation systems and that is what BORESHA is focusing on. There is no known vaccine for the virus at the moment, it is therefore imperative that all energy is focused on preventing the spread of the virus. “This water tank came at the right time, it will greatly enhance our ability to stop the spread of the virus even though we have not experienced any case in this area” says Alio.