Water Well Project (Ethiopia-Jijjiga)

Water supply Development

Hand Dug Shallow Well

Due the extreme need for clean water in several locations in Ethiopia, Wafa Relief ha started a project to dig water wells to provide clean water for people and animals. Wafa Relief made an agreement with Ogaden Welfare & Development Association  (OWDA) which works in  Somali Regional State to fund digging water wells.

The work for the first well has finished successfully and the well has been submitted to the people who started benefiting from it.

Because the need for clean water is still a vital issue, and due to the successful implementation of the first well, Wafa relief decided toll continue its efforts to fund digging more wells in the area.

This report gives an outline of the problem, explains the steps to be taken to securely digging the well and ensures its sustainability.

The work for the first well has finished successfully and the well has been  submitted to the people who started benefiting from it. Because the need for clean water is still a vital issue, and due to the successful implementation of the first well, Wafa relief decided toll continue its efforts to fund digging more wells in the area. This report gives an outline of the problem, explains the steps to be taken to securely digging the well and ensures its sustainability.

Project Summary

Country:           Ethiopia

 Project Title:  One Hand Dug Shallow well

Region:  Somali Regional State

Location Zone:  Jijiga

Expected depth of water well: 20m

Number of Beneficiaries: 1500 people

Project Period; 2 months.

Project cost estimated: Eth. Birr 34282 -  GBP 2448.7

Implementing Agency: Ogaden Welfare & Development Association  (OWDA)

Project Holder: WAFA RELIEF UK

Date of Submission  May 20. 2004

BACKGROLND

The Somali National Regional State is one of the nine Regions of the Federal  Republic of Ethiopia. The Region has literally not been developed from  long time due to political instability and it was virtually a war zone with only a large number of military presence. This has left the Somali people to be under difficult conditions and exposed to constant threat of drought, famine, ma1-nutrition and diseases. This political instability has led to the Somalis to seek refuge in neighbouring Somalia during the 1964 and 1977 wars. The total population of the Somali Region according to the 1997 CSA census was 3,483,165 of which about 56%  were males, about 86% of them live in the rural areas.

WATER PROBLEM JUSTIFICATION

The scarcity of the clean and drinkable water is one of the most painful problems of the Somali Region, the Region is well known for it is shortage of water, because the land is climatical1y semi-arid. The rainy seasons arc always very short and inadequate. The dry season last for several years resulting severe droughts and famine. Therefore, the development of water supply resources is probably the most beneficial programme that can be implemented in this Region.

The countryside had never known what clean waters are. People get water from hand dug wells which are always buried with the rainfall and it has to be dug after rainfall.

Majority of the  population in the Region are herders  who move from place to place in search of water and greener pastures for their animals. Some pastureland the watering point is as tar as 15kms. Sometimes the hand dug wells water are not adequate because the stone which holds the water are not broken properly due to lack of technique or instruments which will make easier for the braking of the water basin.

Come rain people and animals drink from the same ponds, these increases the risk of  water born diseases, such as diarrhoea etc.  Sometimes people fight over the ponds due to shortage of other water resources.

WIDER OBJECTIVES of THE PROJECT

By the construction of shallow wells equipped with hand pumps we aim to:

1. To provide clean and enough potable water for human & animals in rural areas at reasonable distances.

2.To reduce incident of diarrhoea, morbidity & mortality.

3.To reduce workload of women in fetching water and enable them to participate in other economic activities.

Impacts

1. The community will have an access to clean and protected  water.

2. Movement of people from this sites in search of water is reduced

3. Conflicts due  to shortage of water is minimized.

4. This community will be having time for other development such as agriculture etc. since water shortage was the main problem.

5. This community will now have a settled life. Schools and Clinics can be developed for them.

Impact On Women

1. Since women's responsibility is to fetch  water now they will have an easier access to clean & protected water.

2. The time spent in fetching  water from far distance is reduced

3, Since women are more at risk to diseases than men, the incidences of water born diseases are reduced due to clean and protected water.

4. Women will  have more time for other developments due to the availability of clean & protected water.

 Impact on Environment

The project will have significant impact in the social and enviromental aspects of the area. These will be achieved in the general improvement of health hygiene solution of the communities, and because of improved distribution and better planning of water resources location will have a positive impact on the environment as less pressure on the vegetation is expected due the decentralized water resources development that will result from the implementation.

Activities 

Protection and development works of  water supply schemes need careful planning and active community participation,  thus, the following are planned to be undertaken in the programme:

1. Securing the fund.

2. Signing the agreement to the concerned bureaux.

3. Construction of 1 hand dug well 20 meters  depth in around Dagahbur Zone.

4. Establish and organize village water committees in the  site, and training them in different aspects of water development and maintenance before the commencement of construction works .

5. Undertake construction identity feasible sources by involving  community members and inviting government concerned agencies to regularly supervising the work.

6. At completion of the well will be handed over to the village water committee for safety and facilities.

SUSTAINABILITY.

The project will be sustainable, because there will be a water committee in the village who will manage and keep the system in proper way. These will be paid from water sale revenues.

STRATEGIES. • Community participation will be the major strategy. Community members will be organized into village water committees (WCs), user groups and care takers (CTs). Tthey will be actively involved in identifying, construction, monitoring and main Sevenance of feasible water sources. • The water community will mobilize their members to provide labour and local construction materials, while OWDA will provide other inputs and skilled labour. • OWDA will closely operate with  Zonal administrative, the elders and water resources bureau at Regional and Zonal levels respectively • Water sources in  the programme area Wi1l be hand-dug wells . • On-job training will be provided.

 PROJECT  ESTIMATE COST SUMMARY

Report on the completion of the first well project

Ogade Welfare and Development Association

Wafa Relief (UK)

July 21, 2004

This is to announce that OWDA has successfully finished the construction of the water well in Jijiga zone (Marar village) by the fund of Wafa Relief in UK and the project was completed on July 2004.

Following is the status of the planned activities, goals, objectives and expected outcomes of the project.

Status of planned activities

 Progress towards Achieving Project Objectivities

Capable expertises were appointed for the smooth implementation of the project with the participation of the community who really contributed a lot and made it possible the project to be realized. This in turn fostered the execution of the project and the project is completed in July, 2004 and handed over to the community. Now the feed back we gained from the community indicated that they are very grateful for the project to take place and they stated that they are already enjoying  very clean water for both themselves and their animals. The result of an assessment we made also shows that water born diseases especially diarrhoea was slightly reduced. Moreover it indicates that women who were the most affected and who were responsible to bring water for the family from any distance are now relieved and using their time and energy for other meaningful activities including economic activities and caring of their children who used to suffer while their mothers are away to fetch water.

 Finance

The utilization of the budget for the whole project  is as follows:

Planned Budget   27,520

Utilized Budget 27,520

Payment from Wafa Relief  27,520   (   GBP= 2448   )

  Conclusions

The major  conclusions drown from the execution of this project is that the intensity of the problem is much higher than we thought and a great effort is needed from all the developmental NGOs and Government bodies. Therefore it is very clear from the outset that this project can not sustain its success unless it is taken as the tip of the iceberg in solving  the water problems of this people and many other similar and bigger programs are followed.

Regarding  the impact of the project it is recognized that it contributed to the reduction of water problems and diseases in Marar area and people are very much willing  to carefully supervise and closely watch and protect the wells from any sort of damage or alike.

Further the project introduced gender improvement as many women who used to walk hours if not days to fetch water are now using their spared time for other family purposes and development endeavours.

The surrounding area was cleaned up and people were oriented to keep the hygiene of the area and it is hoped that it will reduce diseases used to occur because of poor hygiene and lack of clean water.

The question of sustainability imposed a big challenge and at last a remedy was identified. A committee was formed in all the villages. This committee will supervise and mange the day to day activities and operation of the wells.

RECOMMENDATIONS

1. More wells are needed to be constructed- as we know the people living in Somali state are mostly pastoralists and they move from place to place in search of water. Therefore more wells need to be constructed in order prevent movements from other areas otherwise it will create problems among the community and will undermine the capacity of the wells.

2. Orientations on community participation need to be conducted to raise the awareness of the people.

3. This can only cover a very small of the water shortage problems in the Somali Regional State of Ethiopia (Ogaden). So digging of more wells is vital to access clean water to the people.

Continuing The Project

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