'Water for Eritrea' Project by Technik ohne Grenzen e.V. (Technology Without Borders)
01/07/2015 - 31/08/2016
Eritrea is extremely poor and predominantly agricultural. Especially rural areas have problems to provide a year-round supply of sufficient clean water which is crucial for further development. The project region of Begu Valley in Anseba is located at a height of about 1,100m above sea level and approximately 100 km from the capital Asmara. The valley consists of 4,100 people in 11 villages and lives a simple, agricultural life.
The mean annual rainfall is about 450mm but the evaporation is very high during the whole year. In the rainy season, rain water can't be properly retained and flushes away due to a mainly rocky and sandy underground with steep slopes and little vegetation. Long-time recording reveals that the total annual amount of available water decreases with decreasing groundwater levels.
The current water supply is provided by several hand-dug wells and boreholes which quickly tend to dry out and become salty after the rainy season. Since limited in number, the distance to available water resources increases during the dry season. A distance of up to 15 km to the nearest watering holes has to be covered. This leads to insufficient use of manpower for work, farming and school attendance.
Technik ohne Grenzen e.V. cooperates on this infrastructure project with the organization ArcheMed e.V. which has been operating for many years in Eritrea. The project will provide clean water to the villages in Begu Valley. During a donation funded expedition in April 2014, several locations suitable for the construction of a water storage were explored. One upstream location stood out for its suitability for the construction of sand-storage dams. The elevated position allows water flow by gravity to the valley.
The plan is to build a sand-storage dam with a height of approximately 7m and to install pipes leading to the valley. The dam will be built in two project stages of approximately 3.5m per rainy season. In addition, an existing borehole will be repaired to re-establish access to the groundwater. It will be essential to perform long-term measurements to enable a data analysis of the subsoil for further projects.
The technical details are worked out by German and Eritrean experts. This way, it is ensured that the best solution can be found for the locals both, technically and financially. Estimated project costs amount to € 60,000 for both project stages.
The implementation will begin in July 2015 with begin of the rainy season if sufficient funding can be reached till then. Each donation brings the project one step further to success – and hence, the people in Begu Valley one step closer to a secure and year-round water supply!