Solar power puts long queues for water in the past

Plan has installed a new solar powered water system in Ifakara, Tanzania - helping to make long queues for water a thing of the past.

The project uses solar panels and automatic pumps to extract water from the area’s 4 boreholes.

Before the new system, water was drawn from the boreholes in a slow, laborious process using hand pumps. Collecting water involved scrambling and queuing for a single point at each borehole.

At busy times (morning and evening) there were up to 100 people, including school children, queuing for water.

The old hand pumps have been replaced by Plan as part of a wider health and sanitation programme.

The area’s 4 boreholes originally catered for 4 local primary schools, serving the water needs of 68 teachers and 3,423 pupils. With the improved system, the 4 boreholes can now serve over 10,000 more people who live around the community.

Using renewable energy from the sun, water is now drawn up from the boreholes into reservoirs, from where it flows to different water points in and close to the schools.

Huge impact

The water is needed for a wide range of uses, including drinking, washing, irrigating and for construction.

The project has had a huge impact on school hygiene and sanitation, by making it possible to install hand washing facilities in toilets.

Tatu Rashid, the assistant head teacher of Lipangala Primary School, stated that the project has “sanitised the school environment” and that the flushing toilets will help to minimise diarrhoea cases among pupils.

The improved water pumps have also increased lesson attendance at the schools. Previously, children would miss large parts of lessons simply queuing to get water. With the queues now gone, children are now able to spend more time receiving their education.