Water Blogged

Thank you for bringing safe water to ⁠Patrivia Primary School, Kinoni Kaboyo, Uganda!

BEFORE:
Every day, students from Patrivia Primary School make the long walk to a protected shallow well and wait half an hour in line to collect water more than a kilometer away from their classrooms. Despite how time consuming and difficult this process is- students must walk along a steep slope through dense vegetation to reach the well- it’s the fact that the young children must cross a busy main road unaccompanied to reach the water source that is most concerning. Contributing even further to the problem is the well’s inadequate water supply, which regularly runs dry throughout the year. Although Patrivia Primary School acquired a 400 liter rainwater collection tank to help meet its water needs, with roughly 200 students and teachers on the premises, it simply isn’t enough. With the addition of a 10,000 liter rainwater collection system, the school’s students and teachers will have convenient access to clean, safe drinking water.

PROJECT:
Our implementing partner, Ugandan Water Project, erected a 10,000 liter polyethylene tank on a base made of brick, hard core and cement. Once cured, the crew placed the tank on the base, made an overflow hole in the top of the structure and attached a pipe to it that extends six inches beyond the perimeter of the base. Crew members also attached face boards to the roof of the building adjacent to the tank in order to create a suitable surface to which they attached the gutters that allow water to flow from the metal roof to the tank. Just before the outlet pipe reaches the tank, a “T” joint was inserted to create a first flush, a rudimentary filtration system that reduces the amount of debris and contaminants that enter the tank. The crew then constructed a protective barrier around the tank and first flush, as well as a tap stand located slightly downhill of the tank. The rainwater collection system is paired with Sawyer Point One water filters in order to ensure that all water collection from the tank is safe for drinking.

Check out your impact!
You brought clean water to 188 people
You eliminated 12.44 miles of walking per day
You reduced collection time by ⁠40.00 hours per day
You replaced a Protected dug well with a Rainwater Catchment System

Notes:
Calculations are based the on number of 20 liter jerrycans used each day at this facility: 30 jerrycans
One jerrycan per trip to original water source
Distance is calculated for a round trip, using GPS, as the crow flies

Thanks to the following for supporting this project:
Matoska International, MN
St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica School, TX
St. Barnabas School WELLness Project, OH