Wells Run Dry
Traditional community-based rural water systems— with shallow wells and handpumps— can be found across much of the African continent. Unfortunately, these wells do not provide sustainable access to clean water. Pumps often break, wells dry up, and other water sources nearby can be contaminated. Such was the case in the small farming community of Kalba, Ghana. The town had 10 shallow wells, but almost all of them had run dry during the dry season.
Digging Deep
In 2015, Global Communities partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on the Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for Health program to accelerate sustainable improvement in water and sanitation access and improve hygiene behaviors in Ghana— including in Kalba. Thanks to the project, Kalba has a newly completed water system with two high yielding boreholes (deep wells) with an output of 568 cubic meters of water per day. After being pumped to an above ground tank, distribution lines bring the water to a school, a health facility, six town standpipes, and 20 household connections.
Impact
The facility in Kalba is bringing potable water to more than 4,500 people in Kalba and beyond. Since 2015, the WASH for Health project has provided access to safe drinking water to communities, health facilities, and schools. 328 boreholes have been drilled in communities across Ghana, and as a result, approximately 111,000 people have gained access to safe water. “The extent to which these projects will help our people cannot be overemphasized,” explained Lawal Tamimu, District Chief Executive of Sawla-Tuna-Kalba. “They have brought tremendous relief and improvement in the lives of the people, as they will reduce the time wasted in searching for water from streams and other unreliable sources.”
