"about taking action to tackle the water crisis. Today, 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. The Sustainable Development Goals, launched in 2015, include a target to ensure everyone has access to safe water by 2030, making water a key issue in the fight to eradicate extreme poverty."
Village Area 1
One villager told me that in the rainy season, his field work is too great to walk 8 km to draw water ... so they drink the ground rain water!
I am still thinking through a solution to this problem - thinking through how a water filter could be feasible for them;as they are migrant and a water filter is fragile.
Unfortunately, they do not own the land they work in rainy season, so I cannot dig a well for them in this location. We did dig a village on their land though - which brings a well at least 2 km closer to the field work. Perhaps six kilometres might be a reasonable distance to walk?? For the rest of the year though (cold and hot season), when they live on their land, they now have access to water without having to walk nor buy their water at the nearest well.
Village Area 2
In one village area, where people are walking three kilometres for water, there were wells dug for the surrounding Djarma village areas - but it was refused to dig wells for the Fulani. Not only do they have to walk a great distance to bring water for themselves and their animals, but they face such injustice!
One well was dug in this village area three years ago and a second is being dug this year for another group further out.
Well 1
Well 2
This well was started last week - photo of the selected digging site. If they are digging 1 metre per day, it should be about 7 metres down already! This area will have rock though, so it might be slow going.
Village Area 3
This area also "received" two wells - as their existing well contained insufficient water quantity for the entire village throughout the year, another well was dug so as to sustain water for the population year-round.
Well 1
Well 2
The second well, above ... it already existed. However - remember the above comment: access to safe drinking water?? The water from this well is some of the dirtiest water I've been served in the village.
I researched this problem ... took a sample in to the water treatment plant for testing, and it came back "clear - no problems". However, as I began to talk deeper with the villagers about this well and its problems, I discovered that this well had not been reinforced with cement rings through to the bottom. So each year, the well collapsed and they needed to go in to dig out the bottom to reach water again!! This well is 23 metres deep! Once I heard this, I realized that 1) this is a safety issue ... but. 2) it is the sediment from all this work each year that is contaminating the well.
The well digger for Well 1 was contracted to install cement rings into the well to solve the problem.
well rings on the ground ready to drop in
The result ... clean drinking water!!
The villagers were so excited - they now call the water from their well "ndiyam tuyauji" ... "city pipe water"!! As overjoyed as I am to see each well that is being dug for the villages - this clean water makes me the happiest!
Well ... given the unstable internet, amount of photos per well, and the number of stories to tell ... World Water Day stories will become an installment! Keep tuned for the next story soon!
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