Water! Water but None to Drink!

WATER BOREHOLE NEED IN ATHI RIVER!

INTRODUCTION

Hello everyone,

My name is Lillian. I am a therapist and I live in Saginaw Texas. I travelled to Kenya in October 2018 and discovered that there is a serious water crisis affecting people in my local city of Athi River. I have a passion and undying love to help others and I have purposed to help alleviate this crisis by sinking a community water borehole where 1,800 people can access clean water for drinking, cooking, and bathing on a daily basis. Thank you very much and I sincerely appreciate any contributions. May you be blessed.

Athi River residents and I in a community meeting to address water crisis (photo my from phone Oct, 2018)

THE NEED, THE CRISIS

Athi River town is facing a serious water crisis: people do not have access to clean water, the river is drying up, crops are dying, and people are exposed to diseases and crocodile attacks. Please partner with me today to raise money for the borehole project. Your contributions will help me start this project which will change lives and bless the community for years to come. Thank you very much and I appreciate any contributions.

ATHI RIVER TOWN WATER CRISIS

Athi River town, which sits in Machakos County, is served by the River Athi, its main source of water.

1). To start with, the river has been drying up the last 10 years.

The River Athi is drying up.

(Video from NTV Kenya)

2). Secondly, farming along the river is turning out to be a nightmare for hundreds of farmers who for years have used the water for irrigation. The river has been badly contaminated with industrial and human waste, which contaminates the crops and causes health problems. During the dry seasons, especially in August, the water turns green indicating high level of chemical contamination.

At Miondoni in Mwala Constituency, Johnson Muinde has planted 552 cabbages in a greenhouse where he uses the water from River Athi to irrigate his farm. (Daily Nation Newspaper, Kenya)

3). Thirdly, common water- borne diseases caused by the contaminated water in Athi River town include: amebic diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid, stomach cancer, and kidney cancer. When it does rain, stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes which cause malaria and dengue fever.

Women with their children fetch dirty contaminated water in River Athi, which is also infested with crocodiles

CURRENT INEFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS

As of today, most people in Athi River town buy water from “hawkers”, who are vendors that transport water in 20 Litre containers from the Export Processing Zone. The hawkers use push carts, some have donkeys or bicycles to pull them.

(video from NTV Kenya)

Athi River water hawkers queuing for water at the Export Processing Zone Borehole. They sell the water to residents of Athi River and Kitengela towns.

BOREHOLE, THE BETTER SOLUTION

To better address this water crisis, I envision drilling a borehole that provide water for drinking (after purification), cooking, cleaning, and bathing to about 300 households (possibly 1,800 people) in Athi River town.

What is a borehole? It is a narrow hole (about 20 cm diameter) drilled underground to access springs, at depths even beyond 300 meters below. Solar panels power an underground water pump, which sends the water to storage tanks above ground. Water can then be dispersed from the tanks via tap or residential connection. Residents then purchase the water from the kiosk.

Completed Borehole, 2 tanks, water kiosk and a solar pump. We will have a frame constructed to support the solar panels. The controller converts the DC from the solar panels to low voltage 3 phase AC for the pump motor. On cloudless days it will produce more power than cloudy days. (Photo by Osiligi).

What are the benefits?

1). Unused Resources: The borehole will tap into the water source which is sitting dormant underground, naturally accumulating from underground springs. These springs can supply 20,000 L of water per day. There is also plenty of sunshine to power the solar water pump year round, which will save energy!

2). Health: The underground springs are not contaminated or polluted, like River Athi. This can help reduce instances of disease and improve health.

3). Self-Sufficiency: Equipping this community with a borehole will allow them to be more self-sufficient, as the water resource will be in their vicinity.

4). Reliability: It also means that you have access to a reliable water supply which won’t be interrupted by problems caused by things beyond your control such as leaks or poor connections from antiquated pipe systems.

5). Save Money and Time: The current cost to buy water from the hawkers is about $1.00 per 20 L. Water from this borehole will be sold for 3¢ per 20 L. Residents will no longer have to wait hours every day queuing for water. I spoke with a technician from Davis and Shirtliff, and he stated that these water pumps for the borehole often last 10 years without major breakdown.

6). Sustainability: The borehole will be run by the community, who will elect a committee with a chairman, secretary, and treasurer. The 3¢ they will pay for water per 20 L will go into a community run bank account, which will operate the borehole, provide money for repairs, and pay a staff.

FUNDING FOR BOREHOLE

Land for construction $12,000.00 (I already purchased, fenced and donated to community)

Fencing/Installation$ 1,000.00 (Fence materials and labor paid)

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Reports, Permits and supervision $ 2,900

Drilling $16,129

Tank Stand and Tanks $ 4,318

Solar Pump, Panel, Cables and Pipes $ 9,906

Pipe work and Taps $ 1,270

Total Needed $34,523

Pictures of the land.

STEPS WE WILL FOLLOW

1). Pre-drilling: We will get a permit and environmental report from the NEMA (National Environment Management Authority) in Kenya. The drilling company will conduct a geological study on the borehole site. We will get quotations from these 4 companies below and choose the best based on previous performance, work ethic and cost.

http://www.zakenya.com/services/water-borehole-dri...

2). Drilling Rig: We will hire a drilling company, I have spoken with and am considering Borehole Drilling Kenya.

Drilling Rig (photo by Osiligi)

3). Pumps:They will test the pumping to check water flow rates as seen here below.

(Photo by Osiligi)

4). Purchase 2 Tanks: The two tanks hold 5000 Liters each.

5). Fitting the Pump: They will use a winch and crane to insert the pipes as seen here below.

(Photo by Osiligi)

6). Solar Panel and Controller: We will have a frame constructed to support the solar panels. The controller converts the DC from the solar panels to low voltage 3 phase AC for the pump motor. On cloudless days it will produce more power than cloudy days.

Solar panel in place (photo by Osiligi)

YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS AND PERKS

As a way of saying thank you to you:

1). Your names will be displayed on a plaque at the borehole project kiosk.

2). You will be updated with photos and videos (via email) concerning the progress of the borehole project.

3). You will be able to access progress posts on this campaign page.

4). Free tour, lunch and taxi to and from Nairobi to Athi River (if you happen to be in Kenya).