Project 2020-019

UPDATE October 2020

In early 2020, a project was funded to dig a well to provide clean water for Kabasera Medical Clinic in Uganda.  Unfortunately, despite geological surveys showing a path through the rock layers on the hill where the clinic was built, drilling failed to be able to penetrate the rock and was abandoned leaving Kabasera Clinic still in need of clean water.

(NOTE – Providing clean water for this new med clinic in Kabasera, Uganda is different from a separate Ingomar Living Waters project completed in 2018 which dug a well for a birthing clinic in the Kabasera area, but about 2 miles from this under-construction medical clinic.)

After failure to drill a deep well, the team came up with a “Plan B”.  Plan B is to install a second water tank, capacity 20,000 liters (4,400 gallons) to complement the underground 10,000-liter tank and install solar powered pumps in the tank and the refurbished well with the panels on the clinic roof. This tank would be fed by a rainwater collection system which, given the average amount of rain, would produce over 1,000 gallons per day. To increase their water supply we would like to add a second rainwater collection system on a new pavilion, tied into the underground tank. The pavilion would provide patients much needed shade in the dry seasons, shelter in the rainy seasons, and the necessary framework for the second system. This would produce another 2,400+ gallons/day. The standard well capacity in Uganda is 1,852 gallons/day and this would provide them 180% of the standard. Adding the second system also raises the output to provide for the clinic and for the surrounding area. We believe that even though we were unable to drill a high capacity well, we cannot walk away, having raised their hopes; the refurbished original well would quickly go dry again and they would still be without water.

The cost of this “Plan B” is not cheap. It totals over $17,000. And because CEED was unable to achieve the initial objective of boring a deep well hole to provide enough clean water capacity for the clinic, they have proposed to split the cost of this “Plan B” approach 50/50 with Ingomar Living Waters.  The World Changers who funded the initial deep well which turned out to be unsuccessful agreed to fund half ($8,600) of “Plan B” to provide clean water to the Kasabera Med Clinic.  Thank you World Changers!

Pavilion under construction to provide additional surface area for water collection.

UPDATE January 2021

Construction of a water collection system on the roof of the Med Clinic is underway.  Also, construction of a pavilion which will provide much additional surface area for water collection is also under way. Thank you World Changers who supported this additional set of projects to provide clean water even though a deep well proved infeasible in 2020!

UPDATE March 2021

We are nearing completion of this project, but there is still a concern with possible wind damage to the roof.  CEED is monitoring this situation. As well, CEED was advised that other water districts are watching this project to gauge its success.

As we recently learned, the two tanks for this clinic are full with the rainy season just beginning.  The pictures I have included show one tank, the pavilion, and an underground tank into which water is flowing.

COMPLETED APRIL 29, 2021

Although the collection system was finished in April, 2021, our partner waited for the full flow assessment report before reporting it complete. On March 7, 2022, CEED reported that the system has weathered a second full year with continued viable water flow at the Good Samaritan Clinic.