The improvement for villagers collecting their water is enormous. Before spring is protected, villagers usually have had to cope with muddy holes with steep slippery banks, where filling containers is extremely difficult. You can imagine the difficulties of lifting and the risk of slipping with a 20-liter container of water out of such a location! With spring protections; villagers can now walk on concrete steps, place their container under the discharge pipe and then walk out with their load safely.

Problem and Solution 

1.       Reduce water collection time: Our observation is that women spend much time scoping water to fill their 20-liter jerrycans. Two women fought before us during a visit to one of the sources because each person wanted to be the first to collect water. The other said; my food is burning on fire, one said I came first.

2.       Improve water quality: Natural springs are an important source of water for people and for animals. However, they often emerge in a muddy pool, meaning that the water is of poor quality and it is not easy to collect it in a large container. Major water sources are susceptible to contamination with animal and human waste. By building a concrete box and installing GI pipes that help women get water, protect against contamination of the water by both animal and human waste.

3.       Increase water supply: In some villages, people walk far to streams and springs. In areas where there are high yield springs and the distance is longer, Feat Africa will be able to protect and tape the water to multiple households or communities to reduce the distances traveling to the sources. This is determined by the available gravitational pressure from the landscape.

Spring Protection

Protecting a spring involves protecting the catchment area to ensure the water remains clean, by fencing the spring, planting trees around it, and digging a drainage ditch to carry off the surface runoff water and wastewater. A spring box with an outlet pipe is then built to protect the water contamination.

Springs are protected to prevent surface contamination. The ground acts as a bacterial filter-making spring water a reliable water source. Common materials are used in the construction of springs; stones, aggregates, and sand are obtained locally, and ordinary Portland cement. To protect a spring, the following steps are followed:

1. Cleaning up the whole site by digging trenches
2. Place a layer of hardcore over which is an impervious clay layer.
3. The spring water is collected and channeled to the discharged pipe in a concreted wall through a gravel layer. The pipe is located at a convenient height to enable villagers to fill their containers
4. The impervious clay layer is used above and around the spring to restrict surface seepage. A drainage channel is dug to channel away storm water and concrete paved access is provided to enable users to easily fill containers.
5. The spring wall is built from burnt bricks by a skilled technician/engineer
6. Build a fence to keep livestock away and the grass surrounding the spring kept well-cut.

Spring Flow Rate

A flow rate in excess of 0.1 liters per second is sufficient to fill a 20-liter container in 3 minutes. Which is an acceptable waiting time. A daily useful yield of 3000 liters of water can be expected. Which is enough water for about 150 - 200 people. Our April 2021 Assessment report indicated a summary yield of 0.2 and above liters per second per spring water source. See separate file of the summary of surveyed spring yields in Adi Health Division, Aru, the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 2022 & 2023 program planning folder.