Nakyenyi, Uganda
Status: Ongoing
The Community
EWB-USA NEU has partnered with the community in Nakenyi Parish in the Lwengo District of Southern Uganda to collaborate on designing and constructing a water distribution system serving over 4,000 residents. Occupation industries within the community include coffee, sugarcane, sustainable farming, and small businesses. The current water sources to not provide sufficient water to meet community demands for six months of the year due to the dry season. The current sources include two shallow hand pumps. Alternative options for the community are open water sources with a high potential to infect the community with waterborne illnesses.
The Project
The Uganda program has completed two assessment trips and two implementation trips to the community. The assessment trips investigated the community infrastructure and current water sources, collected PMEL and technical data, and established contact with the Water Board and NGO. During the implementation trip in December 2019, a location for the borehole was identified and drilled, water quality tests were collected, elevation and geospatial surveys were conducted, and community relationships were further developed. After COVID travel restrictions subsided, the team traveled again in August 2024 to remove the hand pump and install a submersible pump, tap stand, and solar arrays.
The Progress
The EWB-USA NEU team has constant communication with the community water board and EWB-EA office to keep them updated on the project’s timeline. Currently, the team is working with the community to resolve a siltation issue within the original borehole. With the community’s help, they plan to redirect the design by potentially bringing more reliable water resources to the community. These sources include a catchment tank system and a more accessible and efficient solar array design that can partner with the capacity of our submersible pump. The team is also making sure the original borehole continues to provide safe water under its unforeseen limits.