The realized well is an 18-meter pit.
The excavation is protected from erosion and from collapses through reinforced concrete cylinders. The pit fills with water thanks to the water pressure from the underground aquifer and will be recharged seasonally depending on the rainfall cycle.In addition, being a well that is much deeper than traditional wells, the water is less polluted and there is a
lower amount of fixed residues.
Inside the pit is installed a 24v submersible pump powered by solar anergy through a small photovoltaic station, then equipped with 250w solar panels (depending on the depth) and batteries that allow solar energy to be stored and reused at any time of the day. This is controlled with a control station and a solar controller and inverter.
The water extracted by the pump is sent to a phased filtration system: an initial filtration takes place through a
pre-filter with membranes that removes sediment and dust, the water then passes through an Inox pipe with a
UV lamp which sterilizes the water and eliminates bacteria ( this is the same sterilization normally done to sterilize surgical instruments). The sterilized water is, finally, sent to a
Osmotic membrane filter that eliminates 98% of bacteria including, for example, cholera, staphylococcus, and giardia. The water coming out of osmosis is inviene collected in two sterile basins to be ready for community use.
Beneficiary community participation
The project was implemented with the
Direct participation of the local community, in order to create awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and the phenomena that cause groundwater contamination, as well as good water resource management practices, the area of intervention being at risk of desertification.
A special local well committee has been formed and appointed, which is in charge of monitoring and managing the well in full autonomy. While Balouo Salo will take care of periodic monitoring visits and extraordinary maintenance.
Architecture
As per our approach, this project was also developed with an architecture that can enable the education and involvement of the community and local workers. In the wells we build, it is crucial for us to create a surrounding area that allows the community to identify the well and give it recognition, so as to give value and protection to the water resource. For this reason, as in all the other wells that have been built, an architecture has been created that incorporates the well. The space allows for water recovery in the shade, and is equipped with a technical room that houses the filters and solar system, facilitating maintenance and monitoring.
The construction team, as always, is composed of locals i.e., the Balouo Salo construction team and was accompanied by the entire beneficiary community in work that required mass participation.