Rainwater harvesting for Nicolas School

The school where the water tanks are to be installed is in Mekele, Tigray which is one of the driest regions of Ethiopia. Water is very scarce and the supply of town water is irregular and often unavailable for days or even weeks. Although the appropriate facilities are available at the school (toilets, taps etc), hygiene is inadequate due to the lack of water. This results in health problems including gasto-intestinal illness and eye infections which can have severe consequences if not promptly treated. Because most of the children at the school have one or more parents with disabilities, their family incomes are very low, even by Ethiopian standards and medicines to cure these illnesses are mostly unaffordable. For example, a packet of antibiotics to cure an eye infection typically costs the equivalent one month's income for these families. A reliable supply of water provided by collection of rainwater from the school roofs will have a significant impact on the health of the children

Goals overview

1) Construct during June – August 2010 water tanks each of capacity 100,000 litres plus collection pipes to harvest rainwater from school roofs and use bio-sand filters to make potable water available. 2) During the school year 2010 -2011 plant small vegetable patches to educate the children about efficient use of water and the value of water harvesting. 3) Improve health / hygiene of the school children by having water available for drinking, washing, and for the toilets, every school day as of September 2010.

Current status

The school project is in 3 stages:- Kindergarten, Primary School, Secondary School. The Kindergarten was completed in 2005 and a water harvesting tank (capacity 50,000 litres) has been successfully installed. The tank will be filled during the coming rainy season (July - September 2010) and will then supply water. The consultant for this project was Bekele Moges .The Primary school is 75% completed and educating 380 children. During summer 2010 a 4th floor will be added to complete the school. The secondary school will be constructed during the same period. When complete, there will be places for 1200 children in total. Funding is needed for a rainwater collection system and bio-sand filter at the primary school and at the secondary school (100,000 litres for each building). The engineering expertise and construction work for the existing water collection system was carried out by experienced Ethiopian organisations who have a successful track-record with this kind of project.

Project plan

Because there is an existing successful installation, the 2 new installations will be based on the existing design but scaled up to the larger capacity needed. The project consultant (Bekele Moges) and the consultant engineers will be briefed as soon as funding becomes available. Once completed a bid document will be issued to 3-5 experienced contractors for bidding. The winning bidder will be awarded the contract and then begin construction. A significant percentage of the project costs are held in reserve pending final approval of the completed installation by the project owners and the consulting engineer.
Sanitation systems (toilets plus hand-washing facilities) are already constructed for the Kindergarten and primary schools and we have a budget for the sanitation system at the secondary school. The issue is lack of water leading to poor hygiene conditions.
The existing tank in the vicinity of the Kindergarten is above ground because the soil in this location (black cotton soil) is not suitable for underground tank construction. We are basing our cost estimate on the assumption that this will be the same situation for the 2 tanks for which we are requesting funding. Above-ground tanks are more expensive per cubic metre of capacity than below-ground tanks. We will have a ground survey done and get a detailed estimate and if the areas where the 2 new tanks are to be located are suitable for below-ground tanks then we can adjust the amount accordingly.
Local RWH expert, Bekele Moges, well known to Rain Foundation, will advice on the design, implementation and check the project.
A mid-term and end-term evaluation of the overall project, will take place by an independent expert organisation called ERHA. RAIN, R4C and the expert organization will prepare together the programme of qualifications and demands, to make an independent measurement and evaluation possible.

Expected outcomes

• Water tank / pipes built within budget by end Sep 2010
• Vegetable Garden planted and in use by school yr 2010-11
• School toilets have water for cleaning on daily basis
• Water available for hand washing on every school day
• Potable water available on every school day

The projects will be constructed using locally sourced stone and locally made cement. The cement is in turn made in Ethiopia using environmentally friendly hydro-electric power and locally quarried rock. All the labour for the project comes from local people and provides valuable employment opportunities for them.
Once installed, the tanks and filters will be maintained by school staff. Maintenance of the sand filter will provide an opportunity to teach the older children the appropriate techniques so that they develop the skills to maintain similar filters where used in their local communities. Similarly, the planting of vegetable gardens watered from these projects provides a valuable teaching opportunity in which the children can learn skills needed to grow their own food as they become adults. In the Tigray region where the school is located, water harvesting is encouraged but the necessary skills and education are often missing. These 2 projects will provide an excellent example to young people and to the local community of how this can work in practice.
To keep the tanks maintained and well used, R4C will install a water management committee consisting of teachers, parents and children who will be trained – and give training - and are responsible for operation & maintenance of the tanks