Nyambogo Success: Alternatives Analysis

Last week, the Nyambogo project committee had a conference call to discuss the alternatives analysis the team had assembled and confirm the chosen alternative with our EWB-USA project manager. The analysis considered several possible sources of water for the eventual system to provide potable water to the community which is located in northern Tanzania.

The community and EWB-UC had both believed that the best option was to drill a borehole to access groundwater in the area. This groundwater option was one of four weighed in the analysis and was the one that made the most sense based on the criteria analyzed. The important points investigated were technical feasibility, environmental and health concerns, financial viability, social and cultural issues, and the educational requirements.

Although EWB-UC chose the borehole well as the preferred alternative, we also investigated several other sources of water. An existing reservoir in Nyambogo, water catchment from buildings, and small scale water catchment were all evaluated. In the ranking system, water catchment from buildings and the borehole were tied. Luckily, Village Life Outreach Project (VLOP: http://www.villagelifeoutreach.org), a major EWB-UC partner, had already begun pursuing designs for roof catchment systems. Through partnership, EWB-UC, VLOP and the Nyambogo community are developing several projects and sources to solve the water quantity issues. With design for the borehole system in full swing and the first phase of water catchment already completed by VLOP this winter, the community's future water quantity security is looking better each day.

Please follow our Nyambogo project on our website and blog. We will also need support to implement the project once the design is completed! If you are interested in helping EWB-UC and our partners in the US and abroad develop the water resources in Nyambogo, please visit our Donate page. We are blessed with many donor partners (visit the "Our Sponsors" page for more details), but are always welcoming new donors!