Mohammed Ibrahim
September 18, 2018
A solar powered borehole pump is providing clean water for communities and new opportunities to residents of Gora village in Kachia local government of Kaduna in Nigeria.
The UNICEF Water project was founded by Department for International Development (DFID) in partnership with Kaduna State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA).
The project was implemented by UNICEF under its Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project.
The community was provided with solar powered borehole pumps to ease their water problems and also toilets in schools.
Village Head of Gora, Gambo Musa said before the borehole was provided, their only source of water was shallow wells and a river which is about 3 kilometer from the village.
He said they used to have serious health challenges before the solar borehole was provided by UNICEF.
“Our houses were in dirty because women didn’t have water to clean kitchen utensils. 10 to 20 people fell sick weekly but since we started drinking from the borehole the number has drastically reduced.
“Our lives have now improved since we stopped drinking from wells and river. We need more solar borehole in the village because there are about 3000 people and 600 households in the village that depend on the only one solar powered borehole pump,” he said.
He also narrates that the problem of open defecation which used to be communion in the region has ended because virtually all houses in the village now have toilets.
“We no longer defecate openly in bushes because majority of the houses in the village now have toilets,” he said.
Tijani Korama WASHCOM Chairman Gora Community in Kachia said the people are cooperating by taking care of the environment.
“We sensitized people on hand washing and open defecation. We also carried out weekly sanitation in the village.
“Our people are co-operating with us which makes our job easy. They don’t defecate openly as they used to in the past,” he said.
He also said that the project has changed their lives for good.
Another resident of Wawan Rafi village in Kachia Josept also said the project has changed their lives for the better.
According to him, the people of the village now have clean water to drink from the borehole.
