Water Project : Kenya
Calli Hickman
Why do people of Kenya need a water purification system? What is the biggest issue related to water facing the population?
As you can see, there is not an accessible water source for the majority of Kenyans. There is many risk factors in Kenya related to water. People in Kenya need a water purification system to protect them from diseases like cholera. Parasitic worms and other diseases enter the human body from the dirty water. The biggest issue related to water that faces the population is that the women and children of the country spend half of their day walking to retrieve water. The diseases are more common in the large body of water where these women and children get the water, putting them at higher risk for disease. Also, the containers in which the water is stored in are commonly found somewhere. This means that they could have been used for oil or fertilizer.
Small scale solution
My small scale solution for Kenya's water problem is boiling water. This method is cheap and effective. Heat from the fire kills most of the harmful bacteria. The short term and long term costs of this are cheap. There is no maintenance needed for a pot of boiling water and wood. The main advantage of this is that the people will no longer suffer from waterborne diseases. A disadvantage to this method is that citizens will still have to travel long distances to retrieve water.
Medium scale solution
My medium scale solution is a solar powered water purifier. The solar energy pushes water(well and rain) through membranes that catch the dirt and disease in the water. The short term costs are mildly expensive. The long term costs are low. The water that comes out of the pumps can be sold, so the people can make more money to keep up maintenance costs such as getting new filters. The advantages to this are more clean water, and you can make money off of it. Another advantage is that Kenya is close to the equator, so it is sunny almost 100% of the time. A disadvantage is that the residents will need to learn how to operate the machine and take care of it.
Large scale solution
My large scale solution is a system of underground water pipes that take water from the few major bodies of water and distributes it around the country. The pipes start at one of the solar power pumps. Pipes connect to the water basin and distribute it to nearby colonies. The short term costs can be covered by the money made from selling some of the solar purified water but, funds will need to be raised to cover the expenses of the pipes. The long term costs are all about maintenance. If a pipe breaks, the people will need to be able to fix it. The advantages to this are that people will have clean, drinkable water, and they do not have to walk far to receive it. A disadvantage to this is that it will take time and money to install the pipes.