Introduction.
In the fight against poverty and to achieve the
Millennium goals set by the UN, the provision of safe drinking water to the teeming population of the World is among the most
pressing challenges. It is common knowledge that water is life. This adage is even more relevant today as the high demand
for potable water is aggravated by the increasing population, excessive urbanization and environmental degradation. In Sierra
Leone with the highest level of poverty in the World and where approximately 70% of the population
is living below the poverty line, the population is growing rapidly. From the environmental and water supply perspective,
FAO reports that about 30,000 hectares out of a total of about 3 million hectares
is being deforested annually with negative impact on water supplies. It is estimated that only 57% of the population has access
to safe drinking water
In the Moyamba town community, potable water is currently and largely obtained
from polluted sources.Attempts to revive an old pipe borne water supply scheme by pumping, has not succeeded largely due to
the high pumping cost....Fortunately, there is a source of water that can be supplied by gravity, 7 miles outside Moyamba town.This project, designed to exploit that water and supply it by gravity to the
population through the existing supply net-work offers the most viable alternative..
Background.
Moyamba Town is the administrative headquarter
of Moyamba District.It has a population of about 18,000 contributed by about 20 schools including; kindergarten; primary; secondary and boarding schools.There are also, the District Council, Government Hospital and all
other Sierra Leone Government offices including the police and military barracks.The
11 years of rebel war destroyed what little infrastructure there was before the war to provide water to the population .Since
the end of the war in 2002, the Moyamba District Council with the support of the World Bank has attempted to rehabilitate
the old pumping station and the net-work of water supply lines in the township but the prohibitive cost of pumping water cannot
be paid for by an imporverished population..Therefore, water supplied through
this improvement cannot be sustained.
For about 15 years now, the Moyamba population
has depended on polluted water from streams and shallow hand dug wells.The impact of this practice on the population is devastating
on the health of the population and longevity.The International NGO, CARE has rendered considerable assistance to the Moyamba
District as a whole and has principally, over the years assisted village communities in the district to construct 350 concrete
lined wells that serves approximately one-third of the population.Unfortunately, as a policy, Moyamba town, being a major
township, did not benefit from this programme.However, these improved wells of an average depth of about 10 metres, are estimated by contractors to each cost currently about Le,24,000,000 or about US$8,000 .The Ministry of Energy and Power in the face of the high cost of pumped water, the high cost of improved
wells and the limited access that the wells provide to the population, has introduced
a gravity-fed scheme for areas with gravity water sources. However, the demands are high and the financial resources limited
particularly to meet the Millennium goal. With decentralization now in force,
the policy encourages the District Councils and Communities to seek for funds to improve on old schemes or implement new ones.
This project is an attempt by the Kaiyamba Chiefdom to provide clean water to its people in the chiefdom headquarter.
Vision.
A district where safe drinking water is available
and within reach of every family .
Justification
According to the UN Human Development Report,
Sierra Leone has been the poorest country
in the World for over 10 years now. Approximately 70 % national average of the population is living below the national poverty
line of less than $1 US per day. According to a World Bank House Hold Survey report(2005) the poverty line in Moyamba as a
rural town is about 79%..Above all, life expectancy in Sierra Leone
is the lowest in the world at 40.2 years. Similarly infant and maternal mortalities
are the highest in the world. Thus life is not only intolerable in the country, the environment is such that life cannot be
lived to the full by the average man or for one to productively contribute to
the development of the country. .Poor drinking water greatly contributes to this deplorable situation.
Good quality drinking water is a basic daily necessity
to life. In Moyamba town pipe- borne water went into disuse during the war and greater part of the population have depended on water from hand dug shallow wells for drinking and other purposes .Shallow wells dry up
at the height of the dry season and during the wet season are easily polluted by infiltration water. Under the circumstance
diseases such as diarrhea; cholera and typhoid are common. These diseases and others take a large toll on life particularly
of children. About 17% of the population are under 5 and 53 % are women. There
is one inadequately equipped government hospital which cannot cope with the load of cases.
The Government and the World Bank have been assisting to rehabilitate an old
electrical pumping station together with the distribution net-work. Unfortunately after expensive rehabilitation, it is not
economically practicable to run the machines at 7 gallons of diesel per hour
to supply the water. The community is expected to pay the running cost. The population of Moyamba town is growing and there
is intensive pressure to provide potable water at reasonable cost. The Millennium Development Goals have laid down self sufficiency in potable water by the year 2015. Gravity water supply if available, where properly harnessed,
treated and supplied to poor. Communities is the best solution to the water problem.
Objective.
To enhance healthy life and increased life-span
among village communities in the Moyamba District, Sierra Leone through the supply of safe drinking water.To make available at least 8 gallons of pure water per head of the
population .per day.
Previous Activities..
Up to the 1980s the Moyamba town was served by
two electrical generators each 125 KVA not only to supply electricity but also to pump water from the Yambatwee river with
an electrical pump. The water is treated before it is pumped into a 250,000 gallon reservoir .It takes 8 hours. to fill the
reservoir and the engine consumes 7 gallons of diesel per hour, i.e; it will
cost approximately Le1,000,000 or US$350 per day. The water was served to the population free of charge.The increasing fuel
cost; frequent maintenance cost of the engines and the decline in the economy forced the government to either privatize the
service or transfer its management to the local community They chose the latter. Within the present cost structure and the
earning capacity of the population being below US$1 per day, all attempts to
revive the system have failed. It is now realized that the development of a gravity-fed water supply scheme is the best solution
to this problem.
Main Project Activities
These will form the main activities of the project;
(i) survey the area for the suitable location
of the dam and water pipes from Nyadehun to Moyamba, a distance of 7 miles;
(ii) construct the collection reservoir at the
water source;
(iii) arrange for the treatment and purification of the water for safe drinking before supply to the population;
(iv) excavate the pipe line and bury the pipes
to make them safe from damage and the delivery of the water from Nyadehun to
the reservoir in Moymba town;
(v) ensure the safe delivery of pure water by
gravity, through the pipes to the Nyadehun; Congowo and Moyamba populations and stored in the 250,000 gallons existing reservoir.
vi) collaborate with the Moyamba District Council
for the synchronization of water supply to the Moyamba township through the existing network; establish routine management
for regular and equitable distribution of the clean water to the population and the charging,
collection and accounting for the water rates.. .
Project Structure and Implementation.
The project will be implemented by the Kaiyamba
Chiefdom Development Committee with the cooperation and support of the Moyamba District Council and the full participation
of the staff of the Water Works Department in Moyamba..The Kaiyamba Chiefdom Development Committee is made up of representatives
from the seven sections in the Chiefdom with serving men, women and youths. The body is the development executive of the chiefdom.
The Chairman is normally nominated by the Paramount Chief and approved by the Committee The Paramount Chief himself attends
the meetings of the Committee where development plans are discussed and sub-committees submit progress reports.. There is
a total membership of about 20.The Committee has specialised standing sub-committees which normally execute the functions
of the Committee and report to the parent body The Moyamba District Council through 4 chiefdom district councillors is also
a member of the Committee.In this project,.the Energy and Power sub-committee
together with other professionals, nominated by the main Committee will supervise
the contractor and will be responsible for the implementation of the project on.behalf of the Chiefdom committee.
Chiefdom
Development Committee. Cross-section of the Chiefdom Development Committee Membership and Leadership of Sub-committees.;
.
Mr. Las Lamin (Retired Inspector of Schools) .. Ag. Paramount Chief
. Dr. Harry Will (Retired Agriculturist)
Chairman
. Mr. Simeon Jonjo (Justice of Peace)
. Finance
Mrs. Theresa Lamin (Sec. Sch. Principal)
.. Education
.Mr. Benson Kobba ( District
Councillor) Health
.Mr. M.S. Janneh (Politician/Farmer) Infrastructure
.Mr. M.Y. Benya (Electrical Engineer) “ Power
and Energy
.Mr. Frederick Sesay (District Councillor) “ Agriculture
.Mr. Foday Gulama (Chairman Civil Society)
Md. Tangabe Soluku (Section Chief}
Mr D.K. Lansana (Farmer)
Mr. Augustin Brima (Landuse Surveyor)
Youths
Professional members who are not members of the
Development Committee but who will participate in the technical sub-committee
for this project are key workers at the Water Works Department; viz; Mr. Maxwell Bangura – Manager; Mr. Francis Genda
– Head Plumber;Mr. John Macauley – Head Mason and Mr. Ibrahim Kamara – Plumber.
Town committees will also be organised at the
two villages involved; i.e; Nyandehun and Congowo for the smooth running of the project. The Paramount Chief will authorize
the Section Chiefs to provide community labour as required by the project.
The committee will tender and make award for the
construction of the collecting and purification dam and also the laying down and construction of the pipe work as a single
contract..The Chiefdom people, through their committee will assist with brush
work of the construction and piping sites and also assist with the collection of stones and sand.
for construction work.
SIGA, the NGO will represent the donors at the
committee and will be responsible for the coordination ,disbursement and
procurement for all project activities. SIGA will be also responsible for arranging for evaluation, monitoring and reporting..
At all levels of operation, the SIGA representative
will be involved to guide operations and to assist in providing details for evaluation and reporting.
The proposed Gravity Water Supply will originate
from the Nyadehun Hills about 100ft above and 7 miles from Moyamba town. A small dam and treatment unit will be built on the
hill in Nyadehun to temporarily hold the water and treated before the pure drinking
water is supplied through Nyadehun and Congowo to Moyamba.. The population of
about 700 persons in Nyandehun village and about 300 persons in the Congowo village, enroute to Moyamba will have pipe stands for them to benefit from the water.. Before supply
to the Moyamba community of about 18,000 persons the
water will be delivered to an existing and recently rehabilitated tank from the
western part of the town with 250,000 gallons capacity .The use of the dam through
an electrical pump from the Yambatwee river about 2 kilometers downhill has proved
to be expensive and untenable..as reported above.
Project Beneficiaries
The
Population. This project is owned by the chiefdom people of Kaiymba Chiefdom,
Moyamba District,The most direct beneficiaries constitute the populations in Nyandehun village of about 700 persons; Congowo
village of about 300 persons and Moyamba town with about 18,000 persons.i,e; a total of about 19,000 people. The beneficiaries fall into the following categories;
Direct beneficiaries
Under 5 --- 16.8 %
Under
18 --- 27.8 %
Adult … 23.1 %
Indirect beneficiaries …. 12.3 %
The share of the population is 47.2% men and 52.8 % women.
.Water Consumption. Consumption allowance is 8 gallons per person per day
Total daily demand is 19,000 x 8 =152,000 gallons
Main Reservoir capacity = 250,000 gallons.
Therefore there is considerable scope for expansion.during
the period when the flow of the stream is optimum; i.e; during and immediately after the rainy season (June –January).The
flow of the stream is reduced during the dry season and water may have to be
rationed during this period.
The Chiefdom Development Committee in cooperation
with the Moyamba District Council will work out an operation and maintenance service for sustainable supply of water and to
establish the water rate in consultation with the community.
During the period of rationing when the water
flow is low; a period of 3-4 months,the District Council will be encouraged to
supplement the supply through pumping from the Yambatwee River under the old scheme.
Implementation Plan
No. |
Activity |
Time/Period |
Responsible |
1. |
Inaugural Chiefdom meeting on donor approval |
1st
Week of approval |
Paramount Chief & Chairman, Chiefdom Dev.
Committee |
2. |
Workshop for implementation |
2nd week |
Chairman Chiefdom Development Committee and Community |
3. |
Advertise Tender on local radio |
2nd week |
Committee/SIGA |
4. |
Community collection-sand &stones |
3rd week |
Chairman, Chiefdom Dev. Committee |
5. |
Evaluate tender and procurement of construction
materials |
4th week |
Chiefdom Committee/SIGA/Consultant |
6. |
Award Tender |
4th week |
Committee/SIGA |
7. |
Start of contract;survey traverse for pipes laying
and dam begins |
6th week |
Contractor |
8. |
Prepare survey maps also community brushing |
7th week |
Contractor,Committee/.Community |
9. |
Monitor &evaluate progress also community
brushing |
7th week |
Contractor/Committee/SIGA
Contractor/Committee/Community |
10. |
Construction
of dam begins |
7th week |
Contractor/Committee |
11. |
Digging for pipe laying begins |
8th week |
Contractor |
12, |
Monitoring % evaluation |
11th week |
Contractor/Committee/SIGA |
13. |
Dam construction ends |
15th week |
Contractor/Committee |
14. |
Laying of pipes begins |
15th week |
Contractor/Committee |
15. |
Monitoring and evaluation |
15th week |
Contractor/Committee /SIGA |
16. |
Laying of pipes ends |
17st week |
/Contractor/Committee/SIGA |
17. |
Connecting pipes |
18st week |
Contractor/Committee |
18. |
Monitoring and evaluation |
19nd week |
Contractor/Committee/SIGA/ |
19. |
Test run |
19nd week |
Contractor/Committee/SIGA |
20. |
Water management workshop |
20th week |
Consultant/Committee/Contractor/Beneficiaries |
21. |
Handing over ceremony |
22nd week |
Paramount Chief; Chairman District Council; Contractor;
Development Committee; SIGA and Beneficiaries |
|
|
|
|
.
Note.
Suitable period for implementation is during the dry season ( December-April)
Effective period of implementation is 16 weeks; first 6 weeks were part of
Community contribution.
.
Summary Budget and Cost Sharing - Le.’000
No. |
Item |
Total |
Donor |
Beneficiary |
SIGA |
1 |
Main supply line |
462,000 |
462,000 |
- |
- |
2. |
Connectors |
702,230 |
702,230 |
- |
- |
3. |
Materials for dam |
10,500 |
10,500 |
- |
- |
4 |
Labour and workmanship |
31,520 |
25,216 |
6,304 |
- |
5. |
Transporattion |
10,000 |
10,000 |
- |
- |
6. |
Tools |
3,030 |
3,030 |
- |
- |
7. |
Contractor’s fee |
16,000 |
16,000 |
- |
- |
8. |
Community input |
7,720 |
- |
7,720 |
|
9. |
SIGA Project
officer |
4,000 |
- |
- |
4,000 |
10. |
SIGA facilities |
2,000 |
- |
- |
2,000 |
11.Miscellaneous(5%total) |
|
62,450 |
61,449 |
701 |
300 |
12.Management & supervision cost(5% total) |
|
62,450 |
61,449 |
701 |
300 |
US$
464,360 456,250
5,206 2,227
Exchange Rate. IUS$ = Le.2.963
Project Output
1.Infrastructure consisting of a collecting dam
and water treatment unit and 7 miles of piping delivers purified and safe drinking water to the 250,000 gallons reservoir
in Moyamba town.
2. The whole population in the district headquarter
of Moyamba town, Nyandehun and Congowo villages totaling 19,000 persons begin to receive pure gravity fed water through existing
and new pipes constructed in the three communities.
3. The Kaiyamba Chiefdom and the Moyamba District
Council reach an agreement for the daily care and management of the new service network by the staff of the Water Works Department,
Ministry of Energy and Power in Moyamba.
4. The Kaiyamba Chiefdom; Moyamba District Council;
Water Works Department of the Ministry of Energy and Power agree on a maintenance and service schedule that would make the
scheme sustainable... including collection and accounting for water dues.
5. The regular supply of pure drinking water to
the local population begins to improve and so also, the health and well being of the local population Of particular note,
the incidence of water-borne diseases such as cholera; diarrhoea and typhoid diminish greatly..This will have the strongest
impact on the 1,500 under five children and 10, 000 women.
Sustainability.
1.This water supply scheme will be sustainable
because;
(i)
The community will appoint
and train about 2 care takers for the security and cleaning of the dam in Nyadehum and also for regular treatment of
the water.. the cost of chemicals is Le,8,800,000 for every six months. If each care taker is paid Le.200,000 per month, the
yearly direct cost of running the scheme will be Le.22,400,000.Assuming that the water rate is Le.1,500 per house hold per
month as charged in other places in the country; total collection per year will be about Le.54,000,000 for the Moyamba township
of about 3,000 house holds.
(ii)
The collection made can be partly invested into supporting the pumping system during the height of the dry season
when the water flow from the Nyadehun dam is low.
(iii)
Staff at the Water Works will be available for the daily supervision and maintenance of the scheme without additional
cost to the Moyamba population.
(iv)
The population will gladly pay the water rate equivalent to US$0.5
per month and save themselves from the problem of seeking for domestic water. There will be improvements in their health.;
which is also a big incentive.
(v)
When ever the pumping machine is turned on, electricity will be made available to the township. Thus this scheme
will serve as an incentive for the community to return to at least a limited supply of electricity which also is in desperate
demand.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The Chiefdom Development Committee
will setup a technical sub-committe that will monitor and evaluate the project.The subcommittee will be composed of persons
with technical background in the key areas of activity –viz; plumbing; masonery; binding wire skill ; surveying; water
treatment and sanitation;dam construction and maintenance; gravity water schemes; distribution and delivery of water to consumers
through a net-work; community management and collection of dues.; financial management
etc.The membership of the sub-committee may be drawn from outside the Development Committee .The team will use as guideline
the bench marks that are set in the plan of implementation.
Project targets will be pursued; record of meetings, major activities; input supplied and how utilized and other project bench marks and im aware of these information and others
to be able to recognize the importance of this exercise. The technical committee and the contractor will make monthly monitoring
assessment of the project activities.At the higher and integrated level, SIGA will lead a team of evaluators including the
technical sub-committee and the contractor and beneficiaries for a mid-term review and a final review before the handing over
ceremony. They will examine previous monitoring reports against progress made and also evaluate performance against the plan
of implementation.The SIGA Accountant will prepare monthly balance sheet of expenditure
and present it during the mid-term and final review meetings. |