Solar panel installed to pump water from the shallow well to the water kiosk
Dayax Village is a village located 12 km from Dollow and 2.5 km to the river Dawa. For the Dayax village residents, accessing clean and affordable water has been a problem for generations. Women and children have had a hard time traveling many kilometers a day in search of water. The only water source a shallow well was in a dilapidated state due to damages by floods. The residents struggled to access water due to lack of any other water sources for domestic use and their livestock. The community was left in limbo years ago after the main diesel engine used to pump water developed a technical problem and was not repaired due to financial problems.
Nima Muhamud collecting water from the water kiosk
Nima Mohamud, mother of two recalls how the water situation was dire before NAPAD’s intervention. Nima and her fellow women experienced many challenges to quench their families’ thirst daily. In groups, women used to trek roughly 5 kilometers to and from river Dawa, twice a day as a daily routine to fetch water for their families.
“Early in the morning I will go to the river in the company of other women equipped with my Jerri cans, fetch water for my family. We traveled for one hour to and from the river”. Nima narrates.
The tiresome journey of fetching water was worsened by insecurity especially for the young girls as it was not safe to go collect water on their own. Wild animals such as crocodiles also posed a threat for those fetching water in the river.
Young girls from Dayax Village comfortably collecting water from the new water kiosk
To help resolve these problems, NAPAD with funding from Norwegian Church Aid- through the ‘Drought Resilience Program’, implemented a WASH project that has now enabled residents of this village to access clean, safe, and affordable water within at least 500m from their homesteads.
The intervention comprised of the rehabilitation of Dayax shallow well near the river Dawa which was achieved through Cash for Work, the establishment of a hybrid solar water pumping system, rehabilitation of water pipework from the shallow well to the water kiosk, and the construction of a water kiosk in village.
Rehabilitated Dayax village Shallow well
It has been three months since the Dayax village residents started enjoying clean, safe, and affordable water. The water kiosk is now strategically built about 500 meters away from the homesteads to reduce the distance walked to and from the village. The water kiosk is also fitted with 8 taps and serves eight people at once and is serving approximately 1500 residents of Dayax village.
“The whole village is a few minutes away from the kiosk, we access the water anytime and at any moment. From morning to evening and even night. Previously, the water we fetch was never enough but now plenty…On behalf of the village, want to thank NAPAD for establishing this important project for us. We say thank you NAPAD and the donors who made this project possible’’. appreciated Nima.