Water & sanitation
Seje | Kenya

Water Development

Water Development - Seje - Kenya
In progress
Project Status
In progress

One of the greatest health concerns of Seje community has been the lack of treated drinking water; many community members have suffered unneccesarily from water borne ailments. Efforts had been made to drill bore holes in the community, they were unsuccessful and it became clear that a larger vision was needed.

In 2008 Community Bible Church, Water Mission International, and the local community based organization came together to begin a project that would pump water from the Yala river through a purification system up to a holding tank and onto 3 strategic water point locations at Seje Glory Centre Primary, Glory Centre Seje church, and His Blessings School.

A supplemental booster pump and another water point in Mugungu were added in 2013.

In 2015 two new water points were added in Bar Olengo community, miles of trenches hand dug by members of the community bringing the water to 6 points. A generator is set up to run all night to keep the tanks full and the water moving out to all points

In 2019 the system was revamped, the changes in the system increased the distribution of water from 10,000 to 30,000 cubic meters a day. When the system is running at full capacity it is now servicing as many as 2,000 families (an estimated 12,000 people) in the region.

The system has faced a number of challenges, but it continues to provide clean water and better health throughout the community.

Latest update

Hippos on the Water Line?

AT LAST! Water levels have dropped on the Yala River sufficiently enough that changes could be made to the system to get it online again. Because of the location, no drilling equipment could be used, so men were employed to dig the well by hand. A cement collar was placed on the ground and the men dug out under it until it sank into place. Another collar was added, and more digging done. Again and again collars were added, and the men were sent lower and lower into the ground. It was wet, cold, hard work and the men above ground who were hauling up the heavy loads of wet mud didn't have it much better. Each morning the well would have to be pumped out before the men could be lowered down to begin work.

Praise God for the lowered water levels and for the men whose labor made the new well possible. Investigation into the existing pipeline found several breaks (more hippos?) along the line that needed to be repaired. As well, a new solar panel was erected on the building that previously held the purification system. All this to say that the system is ready to fire up and provide water to all water points. Eliminating the cost of purchasing water from Siaya county and opening taps that have been closed for more than a year. The work is complete, the system is pumping water into the main tanks, and now testing is being done to check the flow rate. The rains have started and the remaining taps will be opened once the testing is completed.

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