WATSAN - Water and Sanitation
Ever since we started our DSDO sanitation and water journey, we have had a WATSAN committee in place to oversee the entire operations of the town toilet facilities and the water system. In November, there was an extensive overhaul.
There are new volunteers, several being recent apprenticeship graduates, who have taken on a variety of important roles. They have been trained on the intricacies of the system--from the workings of the reverse osmosis system to the solar equipment. They know how to properly read meters, compute water usage, understand the billing process, and inspect pipes, pumps and problem-solve. A new, computerized billing system has been implemented with a mobile money manager to receive payments.
Thanks to a generous donation by Tony and Susan Anderson, we were able to address a lot of maintenance and repair issues. All four boreholes were 'blown out' with compressed air to clean out debris. All filters and pre-filters were replaced for the entire system, pumps were cleaned and serviced, pipes and joints were inspected and repaired as needed, solar panels were cleaned with a pressure washer, and an air pump was purchased to clean the solar batteries and other equipment.
Community labour was organized to properly re-bury exposed pipes (erosion is something else in Dekpor). The interior of polytanks were cleaned.
And finally, there is now an adequate supply of reserve equipment and parts (think filters, membranes, pumps, resin, etc.) on hand to deal with usual wear and tear and the need for replacements.
A field trip for our Dekpor Basic junior high school students included a lengthy workshop by our plumbing manager, showing the youngsters the hows and the whys behind our incredible water system. They were taken to stand pipes, the water towers, and right into the reverse osmosis system room. Here's the thing...the more we educate the youth, the more they understand the necessity to respect and properly use all the components of the system and their understanding of the technology required explains why there are costs involved. And, of course, the added bonus is that they take their new-found education home to their families.
