In March 2022, CO2balance alongside our in-country partner Transform Burkina, started rehabilitating broken boreholes in communities located within the Nord region, in the north of the country. We are rehabilitating 520 water points over 5 years and are well underway, with 129 boreholes now restored and providing access to clean, safe water!
Community handpumps located in the Northern region of Burkina Faso
The process of rehabilitating boreholes begins by undertaking technical assessments. These evaluate the borehole to determine the issues, the maintenance required, and if the borehole is eligible to be included in a carbon project.
There are strict criteria that must be met for each borehole to be eligible, and every borehole is assessed for if it meets these requirements. The biggest criteria that must be met for a Safe Water carbon project, is that the households within the local community would otherwise have to boil water to purify it, or drinking unsafe water as they aren’t aware of the need to boil it to make the water safe.
Once these surveys are concluded, maintenance technicians repair the borehole and ensure it is fully functional. The health and wellbeing of the communities always comes first, so the next step is vital. The water point undergoes flushing and chlorination, which disinfects the borehole and all the components and clears out any trapped sediment or debris. Once this has been completed, a water quality test is carried out to ensure that the water being provided is clean and safe for drinking.
Walls or fences are often installed around the water point to keep the area clean, prevent contamination from animals and maintain good water quality
Alongside the rehabilitations, communities are trained in WASH and borehole maintenance. This encourages good hygiene practices, the safe collection, handling and storage of water, and emphasises the importance of keeping the area around the borehole free from contamination (e.g. animals).
A Water Point Committee is set up in each community, who are responsible for monitoring the water point and providing feedback. This ensures issues are dealt with as quickly as possible, and that the borehole area is kept clean and well maintained.
This project contributes towards the Sustainable Development Goals through: SDG 3 (Good Health & Wellbeing), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).