World Water Day 2017: Focus on the new Water tower financed by World Vision Mauritania in the village of Ganki Djeiry.

Water is the source of life; this is why World Vision Mauritania focuses on the sanitary activities in its development programs. The international organization works actively in Mauritania for 33 years with the communities in order to improve their access to potable water, sanitation and to hygiene services for the well-being of children.

The village of Ganki Djeiry’s local community in the district of Boghe, is very happy for the delivery of the new Water tower at the end of this month of march.

The Ganki Djeiry village in the district of Boghe had been suffering from water interruptions ever since the old water tower stopped running effectively. The local community was facing some serious insalubrity issues which affected both the local hygiene and sanitation. The old water tower’s volume was week and not able to meet all the reel needs of two relatively large villages as Ganki and Daghveg which had almost 200 private connections combined. “The old installation, as timeworn as it became, was a serious risk for the community. The fear of seeing the old water tower falling down was getting higher as days passed by. It was no longer able to conserve the water all day long because of cracks and the huge amount of water leakage. The specialist had to turn on the water pump at least 3 times per day which meant consumed too much oil. There were repetitive water service interruptions because of the lack of funds in both villages”, stated Ganki’s primary school manager, Ibrahima Sall.

The old water tower was 8 m high with 30 m³ which was very weak for the two villages and the water extensions were not enough that some neighborhoods and even households did not have access to water. In addition, the cattle were no longer allowed to drink from the water tower because the shepherds’ contributions to buy oil were far from enough to ensure the effective functioning of the installation. The irregular nature of the repetitive water interruptions increase the problem of hygiene at the school particularly in the latrines which were only 3 and their frequent utilization made it even worse for cleanliness.

In alignment with its objectives based on facilitating access to water, World Vision Mauritania through its WASH Mauritania Program recently built a water tower in the village of Ganki Djeiry, in Boghe district with a capacity of 60 m³. It will guarantee the access to water for 2 villages: Ganki and Daghvegh and will certainly be a huge relief for the local communities. The water tower was built thanks to the support of World Vision United States and it replaces the old one which became defective and presented a danger for the locals. The work was conducted in perfect collaboration with the Mauritanian government.

The school manager, Sall was more than thrilled for the coming of this new water tower especially because his school had suffered a lot from the lack of water and cleanliness. “With the new water installation in place, the school re-launched its market garden project which was stopped for absence of water regularity. The garden was initiated as an income generating activity by the Students’ Parents Association for the production of fruits and vegetables destined for the consummation of students and to be sold for funding other development projects. Today, the school is both connected to the water extension system and there is plenty of water in the latrines with much cleanliness. The hygiene conditions of students within the school have certainly evolved, particularly for girls who previously had to go back home for their needs including their menstruations”, concluded the school manager.

The signs of satisfaction were felt from different personalities of the local administration, the local elite, and the elected officials. On behalf of the locals and his own, the chief of Ganki village Ball Moussa Samba expressed his satisfaction since everyone in the village has access to water and he thanked and encouraged World Vision for its actions. “Now, with the advent of the new water tower built by World Vision with a capacity of 60 m³ and 10 m high, we notice a distinct increase in the water pressure and quality in the villages of Ganki and Daghveg via the water grid extensions”, estimated the chief.

The WASH Mauritania Program manager, Israel Vicky Lokanga, expressed his pride and joy for the successful realization of this important project. “We have been working for a month with our government partners, particularly the ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation for the identification and validation of the implementation sites. For now, 9 locations are ready for implementations in the Brakna region, including the village of Ganki where was built this water tower, a gigantic hydraulic  piece of work of 60 m³ capacity and 10 m high. An extension on the old water grid of 2470 m was realized, providing water for 1871 person in both villages. I am very proud that I could deliver this work, to have built a water source for a larger geographic area than Ganki and to resupply several communities for up to 10 km. This will have a positive impact on the well-being of children and their communities which we happily serve”, declared the program manager.

On his side, the mayor of Boghe commune, Hamadi Hashimiou Dia paid tribute to World Vision Mauritania’s actions and engagement toward supporting vulnerable communities in his district. “The old water was in need of an extension and rehabilitation. Partial or total ruptures in water provisions were caused by the deteriorated condition of the old installation which used to create a deficit in water provisions in the village. Now, there is a resolution of the issue with a new water tower that has a greater capacity where all the parameters were taken into consideration. It is, therefore, a real source of satisfaction for the local community”, forwarded the Mayor. He also mentioned some expectations as to expand these kinds of activities in the district for more impact. Today, the cattle have access to water within every family and there is abundance in water for the local communities.