Moving toward a clean energy future and providing uninterrupted access to clean water
Fossil fuel combustion has provided the majority of the energy needed to run our cars, run our businesses, and keep the lights on in our homes for more than a century. About 80% of our energy needs are still being met by oil, coal, and gas. This use of fossil fuels for energy has however had a massive impact on humanity and the environment, ranging from air and water pollution to global warming. This is in addition to the negative effects of petroleum-based products such as plastics and chemicals.
Despite this, many people who rely on fossil fuels have no idea what they are or how much they cost us, beyond our wallets. There are several well-known drawbacks to fossil fuels, such as their significant contribution to the greenhouse effect.
Like most rural villages with fossil powered boreholes, residents of Dikumari community, Damaturu Local Government Area of Yobe state, rely solely on fossil fuels to power their water facilities which are mainly water pumps. Even though these water pump systems run by diesel generators are noisier, more fragile, expensive to repair, pollute by emitting greenhouse gasses which contribute to climate change, and are highly susceptible to fluctuating fuel prices, it is the only option that many have to get access to safe drinking water.
Asides the pollution and cost of operation, fossil powered boreholes also come with a lot of issues ranging from constant breakdown to servicing and replacement of parts, as well as fueling. This poses a major challenge for these residents, majority of whom are poor peasant farmers and fishermen, with not enough income to pay the operating expenses of a generating station for the boreholes.
Like in Dikumari, many institutions in small towns and vulnerable communities, particularly schools, markets, and health care facilities, rely on non-network water alternatives provided by private operators and vendors who are typically unregulated and provide water of questionable quality at prices unaffordable.
Besides the challenge of fossil fuels, one of the most serious issues affecting the supply of safe drinking water in Yobe's rural areas is the prevalence of non-functional water infrastructure. Also, some communities are experiencing epileptic water supply due to a lack of electricity for the few communities that are connected to the national power grid.
Residents in Lailai small town of Potiskum LGA, also in Yobe state, had to travel 60 kilometers to get the fuel they needed to run their old water pump system. "In order to power the borehole, each household in the community contributes a monthly amount of NGN50, which adds up to NGN4,000 (four thousand Naira) to purchase 25 liters of fuel, sometimes less", said Yahaya Saleh, 53, a borehole operator in Lailai Firi.
Whenever there is an issue with the borehole, the operator is tasked with the responsibility of repairing it; in cases where the repair is beyond the borehole operator's scope of knowledge, the community had no choice but to wait for the government to repair the generating plant; during this time, the entire community is forced to be without water.
This access to water is also severely hampered by the frequent service interruptions, failures of the fossil powered boreholes and a lack of capacity at the local level, particularly in terms of maintenance and repair. In the case of service interruption, when the government or other cooperating organizations that provide boreholes fall short of their duty to supply the fuel required to power the boreholes, the community makes fuel purchases with the money contributed.
"When these boreholes were constructed, the government was in charge of supplying 25 liters of fossil fuel per month, and it didn't take us more than two weeks to run out." When the government fails to supply, we contribute money among ourselves based on household capacity." Lawan Garba Kina, a 30-year-old resident of Dikumari small town in Damaturu LGA explains.
This is however not sustainable and it is evident in the fact that while nearly every community in the state has a water borehole, the majority of them have stopped working or have packed up because the community couldn’t continue to afford the fossil fuel used to power the pumps.
Given the poor conditions in these small towns and the burden on residents, there was an urgent need to find an alternative technology that would not only address the deteriorating water delivery situation but that would also have a sustainable outcome on the lives of the people. Yobe state is one of three states selected by the STWASH activities to build solar-powered boreholes to replace traditional hand-pumps with low-maintenance, reliable pumps powered by renewable energy. The program identified these communities' infrastructure needs, developed improvements based on those needs, and installed 4000 watts and above of solar pumps in each of them.
In Yobe state, a kick off meeting was held with the Ministry of Water Resources where the criteria for selecting small towns were shared. The Ministry selected the small towns based on the criteria. At the point of entry, the ST WASH Activity worked with the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASA) and the Local Government WASH unit to gain the support of the locals in these small towns.
A meeting was then held with the district heads, religious leaders, youths, women, and girls to introduce the program and the activities to be carried out. The Local Area Mechanics (LAMs), and Volunteer Hygiene Promoter (VHP) were all founded as a result of this meeting.
With the support of the Local Government WASH unit, the local operators were trained and are still being trained in the operation and maintenance of the facilities constructed for them.
“So much has changed since the construction of the solar powered borehole, now we have access to safe and sufficient water close to home, our children are not only healthier, but have more time to go to school, play with friends and have a childhood”, said Lawan Garba.
In order to achieve the ambitious task of universal safe water access, USAID is continuing to explore new solutions which are affordable, scalable, environmentally sustainable and climate smart. Solar powered water systems are a sustainable and effective method of providing safe water to communities with no pollution that negatively affects health. With low day-to-day running costs combined with long-term durability, solar powered systems give communities more autonomy and are more sustainable and cheaper in the long term.
About STWASH
The Nigeria Small Town Wash Activity (STWASH) is a 5-year program funded by USAID and implemented by Mercy Corps in partnership with WaterAid in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states. The program’s aim is to strengthen the capacity and accountability of key institutions to provide and sustain access to water and sanitation services for 140,000 individuals in small towns across NE Nigeria. The program will facilitate the economic recovery of crisis-affected communities and strengthen the capacity of state governments in providing essential WASH services, while creating and sustaining an enabling environment for Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agencies (STWSSAs) and Water Consumers Associations (WCAs) to operate.