Continuing on from my last post, inhabitants who live in rural areas spend a bulk of their time securing a source of water even in a country like Uganda where rain can be plentiful. Some of the consequences are: loss of producitivity/income, illiteracy for children who often walk miles to retrieve water, and diseases from drinking contaminated water.
I had an opportunity to participate in building a water harvesting tank few weeks back. We visited a rural area about 35 KM from Masaka.
To build a tank, a hole is dug that's around 10x10 and this effort takes around 4 to 6 hours for two people.
Once the hole has been dug, few more materials are required.
- cement and bricks for the perimeter
- tarpauline for the pit
- plastic sheet for cover and seal water from contamination
- nails
- wooden planks for cover
Speaking of wooden planks, I was able to capture a photo of ladies from the village carving the trees for us here.
Next, we placed the tarpaulin inside the pit and used the planks and nails to fix the tarp in place. We also nailed a wooden box with a door so that water can be accessible and protected from contamination. Afterwards, planks were place in a grid pattern to create a frame for the plastic cover.
Next, we placed the plastic cover on top of the planks and began laying the bricks around the perimeter.
Once the bricks are in place, we use the cement to fill the gaps.
Once the perimeter has been cemented and filled, it's almost done... You can see that the thick plastic seals the water from the outside - doing so the contaminants won't pollute the reservoir. In this picture, he went inside to to clean.
Finally, we took a straw mat and overlaid it on top of the plastic for extra protection. Here is what the door looks like after our work was completed.
When the rains come, a drainage pipe (not shown) connected to the roof will be placed in the water tank; the rain will be "harvested" for later use.
Altogether, this took a day (minus the time for digging the ditch) at a total cost of $200 USD.
What does this mean for the family? This particular tank will supply a family of four for three months (coincidentally the length of dry season in Uganda). Meaning...
- No lost productivity
- No sickness
- No illiteracy
Our team is currently looking to build more tanks. Please let me know if you are interested in helping us out! (Email me at felixjpark@gmail.com)
whats the point of creating this water tank if itll be easily contaminated and breed mosquitoes? Isnt this just a "quick fix" that will later cause more problems?
ReplyDeleteActually, the water tank is sealed from outside with a plastic cover in addition to the straw mats. That's the reason why contamination doesn't occur. The wooden door/latch is how the family accesses water - normally It remains closed.
ReplyDeleteOnce the water tank is built it lasts years.
Also I think what you are referring to is my previous post - the farmer was only able to dig a ditch to collect water because he didn't have the money to cover the pit... and doing so water became contaminated..