Rainwater Catchments: A Solution to Water Scarcity

GLOBALGIVING SEPTEMBER 2014:  RAINWATER CATCHMENTS

“Our Leadership Is Needed, So We Are Ready”   - By Kathleen McDonald – Project Helper

“With guidance from our own Solange, we women organized, talked, decided, and built a new rainwater catchment basin here in Sisene.” says Margarite, mother of a boy and a girl, and herself 34 years old. “That was in 2008 and we have had water each day since. The water saved our village and keeps us working. Both my children attend school. Most of our men returned from other countries because they can now work here. Our neighbors from other villages are asking us to help them have new rainwater basins. We have done well and our leadership is needed, so we are ready to help others do the same.”   The demand remains high from many villages in Burkina Faso to have water throughout the year. 

The village rainwater catchment basin in Sisene demonstrates an effective way to create a sustainable community, curb out-migration, promote girls’ education by removing the burden of searching for water, and empower farmers' productive ability.  To meet the demand, Give Water Give Life (GWGL) is designing a prototype Village Rainwater Catchment Basin that can be replicated throughout the country.

Give Water Give Life Team Members

Developing a prototype rainwater catchment basin requires local non-governmental organizations, communities, village leaders, engineers, graduate students, private manufacturers, farmers, agriculture experts from government, and other professionals.  The participation of the villagers in the creation of the rainwater catchment basin is a very important component to its success and long life. To improve sustainability, the prototype must include: emergency spillway, satellite imagery, and other technologies to determine suitable topography, locations, and porosity; and solar/wind powered micro irrigation and water filtration systems. Residents of the village of Sisene offer their input based on their direct experience. Our GWGL program director is a PhD in water and agricultural engineering, a citizen of Burkina Faso, and is directing the GWGL program and the prototype design.  Team members are determining roles and timelines.  A general meeting in October will solidify both.   

Adding A Spillway

The rainwater catchment basin built in Sisene faltered at one end due to strong storms in 2012.  After the fact, we learned that this basin should have had an emergency spillway, known as a weir, in order to control water flow properly.  Sisene residents tried to repair the basin in 2013, but it has been insufficient.  Give Water Give Life is now hiring an engineer to design the necessary weir.  The rainy season will end October 2014 and a contractor will be hired to construct, with labor provided by residents of Sisene, the engineered weir. Adding a spillway to the existing Sisene rainwater catchment basin will be completed before the next rainy season begins in June 2015.

Public Private Partnership

Private design and manufacturing companies in the United States are working with GWGL to create solar powered water filtration and solar powered water irrigation systems to be included when future village rainwater catchment basins are constructed. We envision that the existing Sisene basin and the rainwater “bouli” (pond) in the village of Djoiuga (northern Burkina Faso) will be retrofitted with new irrigation and filtration systems next year. These will serve as ground tests of the solar powered micro irrigation and water filtration technologies. The prototype rainwater catchment basin is being engineered to incorporate the factors needed for efficiency and productivity in the extremely harsh climes of Burkina Faso.

Once the rainwater catchment prototype is completed, the plan is to construct 3 or 4 new RCBs in 2015 and 2016.  On-going analysis and testing will be continuously conducted to assure quality design and installation, and comprehensive understanding, use, and maintenance by residents of each village. We hope that the prototype rainwater catchment basin will then be reproduced throughout Burkina Faso.

Global Giving

In June, GWGL requested assistance from our GlobalGiving donors to improve our project through our refocus on the prototype design, implementation testing, and addition of an emergency spillway to the existing basin. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and fruitful.  We are now using the funds to help pay the costs of the creation of the prototype and the addition of a weir to the existing basin in the village of Sisene. 

Look for new updated information on our GlobalGiving page that will delineate how money is used, and whether it is for the design of the prototype, the addition of the weir to the existing Sisene rainwater catchment basin, and/or the retrofitting of the water basins in the villages of Sisene and Djoiuga. 

Again, we want to thank you Global Giving donors!  Your support is wonderful.  Any additional suggestions for improving our communication with you and other potential supporters and any comments about our work are truly encouraged.  “Zod noogo!”, which is a Moore expression (one of the main languages of Burkina Faso), that translates to “the productive fruits of friendship”.