The struggle for water in Lera Town
Lera Town and the surrounding area suffered from a desperate shortage of water from December to April, for both human and livestock consumption. The community used 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 could be found in the unprotected springs, streams and hand-dug wells, it was usually unclean and unsafe and exposed the community to water-borne illnesses such as typhoid and diarrhea. These illnesses often killed young and old alike.
The traditional division of roles meant that women and their small children bore the biggest burden when it came to finding water. Even for women in villages close to water points, the task could take up to 6 hours. Due to long queues, women often did not return from fetching water until midnight, coping with the darkness and wild animals.Vicky's Water Project - the plan
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
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Target reached, wells capped – 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, piping constructed – 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, the taps are on in Lera Town– thank you!
- over 20,000 people have access to safe and clean water
- 31 kilometers of pipes have been laid
- average walking distance to access clean water is under 30 minutes
- 450,000 litres capacity of underground reservoirs
What next for Vicky's Water Project?
The next thing that the people of Lera Town need is really good primary education so that their children can enjoy a future free from poverty.
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