The struggle for water in Lera Town
Lera Town and the surrounding area suffers from a desperate shortage of water from December to April, for both human and livestock consumption. The community uses seasonal springs during the rainy seasons, which are near to their villages, but during the dry season all except a few springs dry out, making life very difficult.Even when water can be found in the unprotected springs, streams and hand-dug wells, the water is usually unclean and unsafe and exposes the community to water-borne illnesses such as typhoid and diarrhea. These illnesses can often kill the young and the old.
The traditional division of roles means that women and their small children bear the biggest burden when it comes to finding water. Even for those women in villages which are closer to the water points, the task can take up to 6 hours. Due to the long queues, women often do not return from fetching water until midnight, when they must battle with the darkness and wild animals.Vicky's Water Project
There are two powerful springs found in Anfar Kebele, 11 km away from Lera Town. These have been selected to supply water to Lera Town and the five surrounding villages. The springs will be capped and developed so that water can be captured and stored. The water will be distributed from reservoirs by gravity through pipelines and water kiosks.
Phase One
Water distribution lines and points will be constructed, bringing clean and safe drinking water to some 10,000 people in Lera Town and nearby Demala. The capping of the well will ensure the cleanliness of the water for all its users and the distance the villagers must travel to find water will also be significantly reduced.
Cost £114,000
-
Target reached – thank you!
If further funds are secured, the community would like to organise additional piping and water points to be constructed to benefit the surrounding villages of Duna, Anfar, Jaremo and Kecha Chumeta.
Cost £112,000 - Target reached – thank you!
Further Work
If additional funds can be raised beyond £226,000 we can further improve the flow rate of the water supply and the sustainability of the project. If we raise £275,000 a deep bore hole can be added. This will improve the water pressure in order to cope with peak demand. If we raise more than £275,000 some or all of the pipelines can be constructed using steel instead of PVC. Although steel is more expensive than PVC it will last a lot longer. Using steel throughout the project will cost a further £100,000, bringing the total cost to £375,000 - Target reached – thank you!
Anything beyond the target can be ploughed in to further extending the project. All donations will make a huge difference. Thank you.
