Sr. Nora MacNamara MSHR
Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary
Nigeria
Sr.
Nora MacNamara MSHR , Missionary Sisters of the
Holy Rosary, who works as Development Director
and misean cara Liaison Officer in Ireland,
reports on a Rain Water Harvesting project
organised by the Sisters in Igalaland Kogi
State, Nigeria.
When the Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary
asked the women of Igalaland what was their
greatest problem, they replied, "water". Poor as
they were, they said they were willing to
contribute every bit of money and time that they
had to the provision of water for their families
and compounds.
Education was important too, but then their
children could not participate properly in their
own education until they were liberated from the
task of drawing water each day of their lives.
Girls in particular were responsible for the
onerous chore of trekking the 20 kilometres to
the nearest stream on a daily basis. The
quantities of water collected were limited to
what each child could carry on their heads over
that rough and rocky distance, more often than
not on an empty stomach.
Some solutions offered were mainly high tech,
high cost with management of the water totally
outside the control of the women. Often only the
better-off benefitted and a constant supply
could never be guaranteed.
Missionary groups discussed the situation
regularly. They wished something could be built
locally, by local tradesmen/women with materials
from nearby markets. Methods of rain collection
were in existence, for every drop of water that
could be harvested was caught in a basin or drum
or bucket during the rainy season. Why not
maximize these initiatives?
Thanks to such observations, a simple albeit
effective solution was born - underground tanks
or rain water harvesters. Tanks were tried in
many countries but always leaked. But thanks to
the late Fr. Vincent O’Brien, a Vincentian
priest, a solution was found. Over a hundred of
such tanks have been constructed and so far none
have leaked.
The harvester is built through excavating a
large hole to specific specifications. The
inside is oval, ensuring equal pressure on all
parts of the tank. This is the secret. All
materials are available locally. Teams of
tradesmen are trained. Contributions are made in
cash and kind. Maintenance is low-cost. In the
words of local women, "Nothing can be stolen or
broken".
The local community are particularly happy that
less time is spent drawing water. Not only are
they guaranteed a supply, but also one that is
clean, with a resultant reduction in illnesses,
less time away from school and less money on
hospital bills. Families are fully aware that
because the rain water is collected from the
roofs, erosion is reduced. Again, this is a
great labour saving matter, as erosion becomes
more problematic each year.
Women now arrange such community interventions.
Cash and labour are arranged jointly, respecting
and enhancing the roles of men and women. The
cost of a rain harvester which yields 50,000
gallons is approximately €18,000. All
communities pay labour costs which amounts to
€6,000 and a cash contribution of €2,000. In a
community of 2,000 to 3,000 inhabitants, the
cost per capita from outside funding comes to
the modest sum of €9.