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Notebook of the initiatives

Water in Kordofan


The access to water, source of development !


Kordofan North is one of the 16 provinces which account Sudan. It is characterized by a semi-arid climate and a vegetation adapted to this type of climate: raised steppe or savanna. It rains there abundantly during the rain season from July to September. The months without water, as for them, are struck by the dryness and of the temperatures passing very close to the 50°C regularly. The problems of water in this state, as in all those located far from any source of continuous water such as the Nile, are thus the following one: How to retain, manage and preserve the water fallen during the rain season, in order to hold until the following year?

ONG CARE Sudan tackled the problem of water in this area. They are present on the spot since 1985. At the time of our passage to El-Obeïd and Ghubeish we met the two persons in charge for the projects "water and development" at CARE.

Plan :

- water in the rural mediums in Sudan.
- Project CARE in Ghubeish Ali Ahmed (1250 km in the South-west of Khartoum).
- Care Project in El-Obeïd Ahmed Abbo (850 km in the South-west of Khartoum).


I) water in the rural mediums in Sudan apart from the valley of the Nile :

One counts 7 manners of storing and of supplying oneself out of water:
1. Natural depressions (ponds, etc.)
2. The Baobab trees (cf notebook of the initiatives on the Baobab tree)
3. The wells (drilling) assisted by a thermal engine pump
4. Traditional wells dug with the hand.
5. Hand pumps (one actuates a lever to make assemble water)
6. Private cisterns
7. Structures for surface water such as the haffirs and the stoppings
Some figures concerning water and the supply water in Kordofan North:
"75% of the population do not have access to a drinking water.
"For 48% of the population the drinking water resources are at a distance higher than 10 km is 10 times the distance recommended by WHO.
"Consequently consumption per capita is only 4 to 16 liters per day, which is less than 20% to 80% of the minimum recommended by WHO.

II) CARE Ghubeish, discussion with Ali Ahmed : For information, we gave Adrienne to this antenna CARE, in order to support their project "water and development" with Ghubeish

The access to a drinking water and of quality is a big problem in Kordofan even if this State is very rich in subsoil water. The surface water is in abundance only during the rain season. Water holds an important place in the household budget: between 50% and 60%. Water on the outlet side of the pump is sold by the government 50 dinars per donkey-edge (100 liters), then it is sold then with the door with door. The donkey-edge, according to the season, resell it between 250 dinars and 1000 dinars (in season dries) the 100 liters.
In the area, there are "Toilet-Yards" (stations of pumping), but in an insufficient number and often too decayed. The first problem encountered by the community is the regular failure of the pumps and its incapacity to solve the breakdown quickly for lack of formation and means. On average, there are 5 per month with downtimes which can go up to 20 days. This is why, annual time to pass to supply itself out of water is so high: approximately 140 days by an.(note: One can be posed here, the question of the bond between access to water and the development in a broad direction)

Let us summarize :
The access to water is returned difficult because:

-- Lack Toilet-Yards, 10 000 inhabitant by Toilet-yards.
it reliability the existing Toilet-Yards is low. In the event of breakdown, it is necessary to make more kilometers to have water.
-- Management of water from day to day, not of stocks possible, bus not of cisterns.
it government brings an assistance to the whole of the toilets yards, but, it is often too L ongue to come especially when it acts of minor breakdown.

The breakdowns take place because:
-- Lack of maintenance
-- high Cost of the spare parts
-- On use of the equipment of pumping 18 with 23h per day
-- Outdatedness of the material installed (25 years)

We work (CARE) by the means of our project to divide work between side that which returns to the Government (management of the serious problems) and other that which comes within province of the community (management of the small problems and maintenance) in order to decrease the times of assistance.

Two parts in the project :
1. To increase the capacity of the population to manage its well (Community management).
2. To renew the whole the Toilet-Yards (pumps, cisterns and pipings).
This project of restoration and formation is financed by Europe to a total value of 600 € 000 + € 100 000 poured by the inhabitants of the villages and the surroundings. This contribution of the community is necessary in order to them responsabiliser. It is the indispensable condition so that the project succeeds.

To conclude this project, we delegate a staff of 15 people during 2 years which will work in ankle with a group of 15 volunteers including at least 2 women. This committee of villager will be in load of the management Toilet-Yard. Only the executive will be paid (3 to 4 people).

The place of the woman is a challenge for us in this project. It is our priority to make them take part fully on the initiative. This is why we envisage to set up a "group of woman". Each woman will be thus, in load of a group of 25 hearths in order to transmit a message and to communicate on the project. The success of this project rests on the woman because they are traditional "the managers" of water.

Our interlocutor did not intend to speak about the international year of fresh water.


Thank you to Ali Ahmed to have to speak to us about water in Kordofan North and more particularly about the project for CARE in this area.

CCARE El-Obeïd, discussion with Ahmed Abbo:

What is a Haffir ?

To haffir is an artificial excavation towards which and the surface water fallen during the rain season stored is drained, which makes it possible to have a constant supply water earthy the dry season. The depth one to haffir varies between 3 and 8 meters, it is generally of a capacity storage ranging between 5000m3 and 30 000m3. Technology one to haffir (developed by Care) is very simple. A system of filter by gravitation makes it possible to purify water, while an enclosure prevents the cattle from coming to drink directly in the basin. In old the haffirs, the water pollution by the cattle (urines and other bacteria) was the most serious problem. People often came to clean their truck or their car at the edge of the basin the capacity storage depends on the type of ground (generally argillaceous) and on the rate of evaporation of the place where it was dug. The water losses are primarily allotted to evaporation (30 to 40 %) and to the infiltration in the ground (10-20%).

Certain families, here, have only 4 Liters of water per day. When CARE arrived in the area beginning of the Nineties was to face a need for food, but very quickly the population asked for water. Then we made dig haffirs which proved too simple and which brought a water of bad quality. We thus improved the system by the installation of barrier of protection against the cattle, and the installation of a system of purification of water via a filter by gravitation.

Between 1993 and 2003 with the support of FAO within the framework of a programme of "Work against food" we dug 200 haffirs. The funds came primarily from European Union.
To give you an order of magnitude one to haffir of 15 000 to 20 000 m3 is equivalent to 200 tons of food plus the costs of structure (14 000$) such as installation of barriers of protection, the purchase of hand pumps, etc.
Construction one to haffir brings money to the community, which enables them to build schools, dispensaries, and thanks to the proximity water to make it bricks for the houses (to build the hard one rather than gourbis in straw).

The management of haffir is ensured by a committee in charge of maintenance, hygiene and health. We favour so that the women imply themselves in this committee. Today the construction team is trained by 70% women.
The proof that our policy bears its fruits it is that the best to haffir of the province is directed by a woman.

Alternative to water :
In the area the population enormously consumes watermelon which constitutes a contribution out of considerable water daily. However, this year, an insect destroyed the whole of harvest. One notes of this fact an increase in the water consumption. The watermelon is cultivated here during the rain season. It is resistant to the dryness because its roots are deep. The watermelon forms integral part of the culture. For example, people do not travel with gourds because they know that on the road they will find small gravers selling of watermelons…

Thank you to Ahmed Abbo
to have received us during one night in their Guest-house
and show us the haffirs.


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Photographs

 


Ali Ahmed person in charge CARE for Ghubeish and the Hydrotour team. It is with them that we gave Adrienne. booh-hoo!

 


Ghubeish's Water-Yard. They are generally old young people between 8 and 16 years old which deliver water, more rarely of the adults.

 


The feeding trough from which the young people draw water to fill their Donkey-Edge. The water which is pumped in the ground passes by a water tower and does not undergo any treatment.

 


A young person filling his cistern using one gallon. An hour ago in the course of the day to deliver water at the inhabitant.

 


A water salesman to the door with door. This one is with horse. Normally it is an ass which draws the cistern from or the name of "Donkey-Can".

 


Delivery in residence, here at Sudatel, the telephone operator who lodged us during a dozen days.

 


The gallon being used to make the transfers of the feeding trough to the Donkey-Edge, then Donkey-Edge with the cistern like the photograph above.

 


The operation of Haffir (CARE). This process makes it possible to purify water (filter gravitating) and to preserve it in order to hold until the following rain season.

 


Sight of a gravitating filter. Water forwards in a first well (coming from the tank) in lequelle it is to purify by a gravel and sand filter for then forwarding towards a second well equipped, as for him, of a hand pump.

 


One to haffir not profiting from the system of filter and hand pumps. The water drudgery is thus done directly in the tank. This last is however to protect by barriers to prevent the cattle from returning.

 


A small girl accompanying her brother with haffir. The asses can carry, thus, with same their back, 80 liters of water.


Famous hand pumps equipping one to haffir improved.

 


A receptacle is envisaged so that the cattle, extremely many in the area, can come to water itself without penetrating in the tank.

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