UNIVERSITY OF SIERRA LEONE
FOURAH BAY COLLEGE
FACULTY OF ENGINEERING
Module: ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND INNOVATION
GROUP: 27
CODE: FENG 510
TOPIC: : ENHANCEMENT OF ACCESS TO SAFE & CLEAN DRINKING
WATER AT KAMANDA FARM, MOUNT AUREOL ,WESTERN URBAN
DISTRICT FREETOWN.
NO Name ID Department
1 Isatu Sajor Bah 43966 Civil
2 Hawa Bokarie 41154 Civil
3 Andrew Thompson 39222 Civil
4 Farrel H. L Coker 33989 Civil
5 Ibrahim Mohamed Bah 37998 Electrical & Electronics
6 Ibrahim Barrie 38011 Electrical & Electronics
7 Siderica Zoker 41297 Mechanical & Maintenance
8 Marilyn During 35723 Mining
PROBLEM STATEMENT:
‘’WATER SCARCITY AT KAMANDA FARM, A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE LOCALITY’’.
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of
water and sanitation for all”. The targets cover all aspects of both the water cycle and sanitation
systems, and their achievement is designed to contribute to progress across a range of other SDGs,
most notably on health, education, economics and the environment.
Water is at the core of sustainable development and is critical for socio-economic development,
energy and food production, healthy ecosystems and for human survival itself. Water is also at the
heart of adaptation to climate change, serving as the crucial link between society and the
environment.
Water is also a rights issue. As the global population grows, there is an increasing need to balance all
of the competing commercial demands on water resources, so that communities have enough for
their needs. In particular, women and girls must have access to clean, private sanitation facilities to
manage menstruation and maternity in dignity and safety.
At the human level, water cannot be seen in isolation from sanitation. Together, they are vital for
reducing the global burden of disease and improving the health, education and economic
productivity of populations.
At kamanda Farm Community, Clean water shortage is rampant in the region and women and
children have to trek long distances in search of water and sometimes towards Botany: a garden
place at Fourah Bay College 800m away. As a result of this, a lot of man hours which could have been
used for economic activities and household chores are lost. The major sources of water are mud
holes ,water from these sources are dirty and most of the times contaminated and causes diseases
such as cholera. The project therefore seeks to provide hand water pumps to this region which will
enhance access to clean water for domestic use, animal use and irrigation of kitchen gardens. The
region has approximately 1000 households, each having at least 7 dependants. So by providing clean
water, many lives will be saved. There will also be food supply, as they will be able to irrigate their
lands for small scale farming. This will help in reducing the problem of food scarcity in the region. By
providing water pumps in this region, time will be saved for the locals to engage in other economic
activities such as trading which is a domain of the women. Provision of clean treated water will also
help cub the occurrence or spread of waterborne diseases as the water will be keep
SOLUTIONS TO THE ABOVE PROBLEM
1. The government should take urgent action to combat water scarcity through its water regulatory
agencies NWRMA and SALWACO .
2. These agencies should embark on the development of hand pumps in the locality as well as
providing water tanks of 10000Lit. capacity in locations with low conductivity or yield point.
3. In order to have a high yield capacity, a geophysical survey should be conducted to identify an
area with high potential aquifer and drill a sustainable borehole which will be powered by a solar
panel. A tower should be constructed to harness the water and make available for use through
stand posts located at different places in the locality.
It is recommended that there should be minimal or affordable fees for accessing the water by all
members in the community. If these measures are not put in place, the free-for-all will cause
improper use of the facility and maintenance cost won’t be available should there be any
irregularity. This will lead to greater environmental calamity to the next generation.
Reference
Berkowitz, P., Dugard, J., Smith, L and Tissington, K. (2009) South Africa is rethinking its decentralized
water services, International research council (IRC), [Online] Available:
[Link]
Burger, D. (2011) South Africa Yearbook (2010/2011), Government Communication and Information
system. [Link] (accessed 15 March 2013)
DBSA (2012) The State of South Africa’s Economic Infrastructure: Opportunities and challenges 2012.
