Clean Water for Everyone

For the last 8 years SONED e.V. has been active in Nigeria supporting local projects and partners.

The latest initiative is the construction and operation of a public water tank with a solar-powered deep-well pump in the village of Agbovipe near Badagry in South-West Nigeria.

The starting point for this project was the insufficient supply of the villagers with clean water.

Usually, village wells are dug approximately 4 m deep and are reinforced with rings made of concrete. However, the Badagry aquifier was directly connected with an adjacent large swamp, and, consequently, suspended particles contaminated the water, particularly during the rainy season. During the dry season the water level could drop so far that the well dried up completely. Furthermore, the well was uncovered, which caused further contamination of the water through dust.

A solution to this problem was to dig a deeper than normal well with the water raised to the surface by a submerged pump.

In Janurary 2006 Wagner & Co. Solartechnik/ Cölbe kindly donated a powerful, solar-powered deep-well pump and a solar module for the production of electric power.

The Adunni-Susanne Wenger Foundation (ASWF) took on the planning and co-ordination of the local project.

In order to be able to draw water also in poor weather conditions or in the evening, the water is pumped into a tank and, therefore, temporarily stored.
Our partners of Solarstation Nigeria Ltd. were commissioned in July 2006 to drill the bore hole and build the pump house.

At the start of October two SONED employees flew to Nigeria with the pump and the solar module in their luggage, in order to be present at the final installation and to witness the operation of the well.

The SONED employees installed the pump at a depth of approximately 7,50 m and mounted the solar module on the roof of the pump house. A local plumber laid the pipes and conntected them with the tank and the filling station. Masonry work was also carried out by a local company.

 The ASWF provided on-site work shops, where fifteen men and women were able to inform and further educate themselves about the applied technology, the general concepts of solar technology, as well as the different areas of application of renewable energy.

On 10.10.2006 the completed facility was inaugurated in presence of local dignitaries, the media, befriended companies and of course the villagers, and was officially handed over to the village for use.

With a delivery rate of approximately 6000 l water per day around 200 people are now supplied every day with clean water.

Solarstation Nigeria Ltd. assumed responsibility for the control and the maintance of the installation in order to guarantee the permanent, on-going operation of the pump.

The project was financially supported by the foundation “Umverteilen! Für eine solidarische Welt”, by the resources of SONED e.V., and by private and company sponsors to whom we would like to extend our special thanks.