Water Blogged

Nakifuma Project Complete

Posted by Steve Hall on September 22, 2023

The new rainwater collection system at Nakifuma Church of Uganda Primary School has been successfully completed!

Our implementing partner, Ugandan Water Project, erected a 10,000-liter polyethylene tank on a base made of brick, hardcore, 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 could attach the gutters that will 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 wall around the tank and first flush, as well as a tap stand located slightly downhill from the tank. The rainwater collection system will be paired with four Sawyer Point One water filters in order to ensure that all water collection from the tank will be safe for drinking.

Check out your impact!

  • You brought clean water to a school with 17 staff, serving 683 students at the time of project installation
  • Previously, students and staff fetched from ⁠an unsafe shallow well
  • By bringing a rainwater collection system to facility grounds, we estimate that you eliminated up to 1.94 miles of walking and 3.50 hours of collection time per day!


Note: Time and distance calculations are based on the average number of 20-liter jerrycans that UWP rainwater collection systems can provide each day. We assume that every jerrycan fetched from the UWP rainwater collection system replaces one trip to the previous water source. Distance from the facility to the previous water source is calculated for a round trip as the crow flies, using GPS coordinates.

Thank you to the following for helping bring safe water to Nakifuma C/U Primary School:


BEFORE:
 Nakifuma Church of Uganda Primary School relied on water from a nearby piped water source, but this was often locked or otherwise inaccessible. The school also uses an old rainwater collection system, but this does not provide nearly enough for such a large population – the facility previously spent roughly 120,000 Ugandan shillings on water-related expenses per month. The new rainwater collection system will lead to saved money being put to use for bettering the school and church and improving life for the students at Nakifuma C/U Primary School.

 

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