Project Status



Project Type:  Dug Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Masindi / Jinga Uganda

Impact: 300 Served

Project Phase:  In Service - Dec 2010

Functionality Status:  Functional

Last Checkup: 03/15/2024

Project Features


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Community Profile

The community of Kitumu sits in a picturesque section of Masindi
district, Uganda.  The village abuts the boundary of Murchison Falls
national park and its beautiful scenery can be viewed from many points
in Kitumu.   Although the cultivated fields of local farmers indicate
the beginning of human development in contrast to the protected
landscape of the park, there is unfortunately very little which could be
considered modern development in Kitumu.  There is no health center, no
electricity and no clean water.  The area’s residents rely solely on
what is locally available.  In terms of water, people go to natural,
open sources which form in the surrounding environs.  The problem is
that this water is often very dirty and contaminated with disease
causing bacteria.  The village chairman, John Byabasaija, succinctly
describes the water situation in the community in his letter to Busoga
Trust.

“We don’t have clean water for drinking and for domestic use”

The nearest source of clean water to Kitumu is a well built by Busoga
Trust in another village, but it is roughly 3 – 4 kilometers away which
is too great a distance for most people to travel.  Therefore the
residents of Kitumu must drink dirty water.  Consuming the water from
open sources is a recipe for ill health and causes the local population
to continually suffer from water born diseases.  Even simply bathing
with dirty water can lead to skin diseases such as scabies or eye
diseases like trachoma.  Without clean water the people of Kitumu are
destined to suffer from a host of preventable diseases.

On November 15, 2010 Busoga Trust began to construct a shallow hand
dug well in Kitumu.  Working in coordination with community members,
Busoga Trust’s on-site technician oversaw the excavation and building of
the well.  The well was completed in early December and the pump
installed on December 6 – since then the well has provided the people of
Kitumu with access to clean, safe water source which will ensure better
health for all who drink from it.

GPS Coordinates are approximate.

 

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Project Type

Hand-dug wells have been an important source of water throughout human history! Now, we have so many different types of water sources, but hand-dug wells still have their place. Hand dug wells are not as deep as borehole wells, and work best in areas where there is a ready supply of water just under the surface of the ground, such as next to a mature sand dam. Our artisans dig down through the layers of the ground and then line the hole with bricks, stone, or concrete, which prevent contamination and collapse. Then, back up at surface level, we install a well platform and a hand pump so people can draw up the water easily.


Sponsors


1 individual donors