Zhidu Community Borehole Project 2018

Water-related diseases such as Malaria and typhoid have been a common disease in Zhidu community where the major source of water for about 3,000 indigenes is a highly polluted river. This project, strategically cited within the community centre, has brought clean water close to homes and will reduce the incidence of rape and physical abuse against women and girls who walk lonely bush paths to fetch water from the river.

Zhidu Community Borehole Project 2018

Water-related diseases such as Malaria and typhoid have been a common disease in Zhidu community where the major source of water for about 3,000 indigenes is a highly polluted river. This project, strategically cited within the community centre, has brought clean water close to homes and will reduce the incidence of rape and physical abuse against women and girls who walk lonely bush paths to fetch water from the river.

Up to 3,000 lives changed

5″ UPVC Hand Pump Borehole Installed

About Zhidu Community

Zhidu community is located in the Piwoyi Area of Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. It is characterized by a dry and vast area of bare and rough land with a scattered settlement pattern where people live in a slum-like environment. The area has very unstable rainfall and is very dry with high intensity of effects of climate change as are many parts of northern Nigeria. Zhidu community is famous for its very high mountain views. The major source of livelihood for the families of the community is farming while few of the young men take to commercial bike riding in and around the community to make ends-meet. The common language in Zhidu community is a Native Zhidu language, which is slightly different from the traditional Hausa Language that is common in neighboring villages and communities, thus setting them apart in a world of their own.

Why Zhidu Community?

Zhidu Community is home to an estimated population of 3,000 indigenes, most of whom live below the poverty threshold of $1.20 per day. The major source of water for most of the community members is the Zhidu River, which is highly polluted, especially during the rainy season when litters and wastes from neighboring communities and industries are washed down to the river. Community members who can afford to pay water vendors, rely on the vendor to supply water for their daily household needs while majority who cannot afford the cost, are left to utilize rainwater or the polluted river water. The community has one community borehole, which has been strained by the increasing population and number of users in the community.

During the dry season, the villagers rely mainly on the water from the river and the burden usually falls on women and children to get water for household use. There has been reported cases of abuse (physical and sexual) amongst women and children, who walk the lonely dangerous path to the river, especially, at early hours of the morning or late evening.

The community has a primary health care centre, which witness high rate of water-related diseases. Most families have taken Malaria and Typhoid as a normal disease, and it has become “part of their lifestyle”.

The Project

This project was carried out in partnership with the National Youth Service Corps, through a Corp member, Ese Johnson, who identified the humanitarian need in the need in the community and approached Hope Spring Water for sponsorship.

Hope spring Water embarked on the project after preliminary visits and assessment of the humanitarian need in the community. Meetings were held with the village King and his cabinet to ensure that the community members are included in decision making on the project. A project site was mapped out after consultations with the community leader and site surveyor. The services of a local drilling company was employed to execute the project.

A unit 5” diameter UPVC hand pump borehole was drilled to a depth of 80m and an Indian Mark-2 hand pump was installed. The borehole was developed using compressed air until the water became clear of sediment. The physicochemical characteristics of the water was carried out to ascertain the water quality before handing over to the community for use.

Launching of Project

The Zhidu Community Borehole Project was commissioned on the 8^th of October 2018. The event was witnessed by the community members, including the Youth leader, women leader, children and cabinet members. The National Youth Service Corp, who are partners in this project were fully represented by the state management team of the SDG-CDS Group. The State Coordinator of the NYSC was represented by Mrs Haruna Joy while the Nigeria Country Director of Hope Spring Water, Mr Temple Oraeki, was also present for the commissioning of the project.

The Youth Leader, Women Leader and Community King were full of praises and took turns to express their appreciation to Hope Spring Water and other partners of the project.

Project Impact

The immediate impact of the project could be seen through the smiles on the faces of the women, who came out in their numbers to appreciate the laudable project. Zhidu Community Borehole project would create ripple effect on the economy of the community. The children would no longer have to miss school or go late to school because they are walking long distances in search of water. The women can use their time for more productive ventures that will boost their living standards while staying healthy also, the incidence of physical and sexual abuse will be reduced in the community. Finaly, the money pent on hospital b ills can be channeled into other ventures that will boost the economy of the households and community, at large.

Project Sustainability

According to Temple Oraeki, the Nigeria Country Director of Hope Spring Water, “No one values water better than someone who has experienced firsthand the effect of water scarcity”. Zhidu Community has experienced a fair share of water scarcity and knows the struggles to live without water. In order to ensure proper maintenance of the borehole, the community Youth members formed a caretaker team, headed by the Youth Leader, to manage and ensure the borehole is been properly utilized.

See more photos

Video of the project

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