Nyambogo

EWB-UC has been partnering with the Nyambogo community and the Cincinnati based non-profit Village Life Outreach Project since 2008 in an effort to solve water supply shortages in the village. Nyambogo is a village of 4000 people in a rural part of the Rorya district of northern Tanzania.

EWB-UC first traveled to the Nyambogo community in the summer of 2010 for an assessment to determine the validity of current sources of water in the community and to seek other possible water sources. During the trip, EWB-UC members tested water quality in several springs and a small reservoir in the community. The results from this testing were used in an alternatives analysis to determine the best possible solution for the water issues in Nyambogo.

The design team is working on surveys, designs, and proposals for a water distribution system fed by a borehole well. The project is planned to be completed in two phases. The initial phase will be the drilling of a borehole well and installation of a pumping system and central storage tank. Phase one will allow access to clean water for the village at a single point. Following the success of phase one, phase two will likely see the construction of a distribution network similar to the system implemented in the Otho Abwao project. This will allow residents to collect drinking water from several points throughout the community.

Right now in the Nyambogo Project

The Nyambogo water project committee recently submitted its alternatives analysis documentation to EWB-USA. The analysis summarizes possible solutions for the lack of potable water in Nyambogo, Tanzania. The proposed options include a rainwater catchment system, a filtration system for the existing springs and ponds, and the drilling of a borehole well. The borehole well was chosen as the most viable option due to its reliability and year-round water supply. If the alternatives analysis is approved by EWB-USA, the committee will begin surveying efforts to choose a location for the borehole, finding and contracting a drill team, and beginning the design of the pumping and storage system.

Unfortunately, the committee will be losing one of its professional mentors, Nalin Sahni. He will be moving to Cleveland for his new job. Nalin, along with Todd Trabert, has played a key role in mentoring the Nyambogo group. We would like to thank him for all his efforts and wish him the best with his new position.