This project seeks to distribute 500 units of Solvatten units to 500 households most affected by gut perforation disease in the district of Kasese, Western Uganda. The consumption of contaminated water from rivers has been coupled with buying firewood and felling of trees which has had a devastating effect on both household income and the environment.
Kasese district has poor safe water coverage with most of the households using impure water from running rivers of Nyamugasana, Nyamwamba, Mubuku and Lubiriha that carry lots of minerals from Mount Rwenzori for domestic and commercial use. Since 2008, gut perforation disease has increasingly spread to all parts of the district with at least two people being operated daily since the outbreak, http://allafrica.com/stories/201102210032.html.
A portable solar heater Solvatten treats approximately between 10 - 15 litres of water in 2-6 hours, based on the intensity of sunlight. N average, Solvatten provides 30 litres of water a day. The SVI-10 indicator (indicating the water is safe for consumption) approves the purity of water besides the taste of the water remaining natural, save for fitting into daily household routines. Households that use chlorine to treat their water and those that use firewood to heat their water will benefit
Solvatten will lead to more hygienic behaviour due to availability of warm and clean water. Households will further save more money as they purchase less of firewood as well as spend less on medical expenses. Households will not only save money but also gain time to do income generating activities and equally creating opportunities to improve their quality of life.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
