New wells for quality water

The water drawn from a well is not always fit for immediate consumption. This is in any case the reality experienced by the population of the urban commune of Maroantsetra in Madagascar. To find an answer to this situation, the Rotary Club of Rennes is helping inhabitants to draw water from a deeper source.

Humanitarian and Development

Place
Maroantsetra (province of Toamasina), Madagascar

Sponsor
Philippe Surjous

Grant(s)
25 000 € to the Selection Committee at 2008/03/26

Project leader

Rotary Club of Rennes

« The Rotary Club of Rennes has been active in Madagascar since 2000, particularly in the area of water. It is allied with the association "Amitiés Madagascar Bretagne", which has initiated several projects in this area, and which regularly reviews the achievements and tracks the costs of these projects. »

Philippe Surjous

For the inhabitants of the urban commune of Maroantsetra (departement of Toamasin in Madagascar), drinking water is something that is virtually out of reach. Access to water is only available via shallow family wells. Yet since the soil is very sandy, the rainwater seeps down easily, dragging along the waste that lies on the surface.
This means that the shallow water table is far from being able to offer a quality water, and this generates a large number of waterborne diseases.

The search for pure water

Several hygiene awareness raising campaigns have been conducted among the population, teaching them in particular how to use products to treat the water before consumption. Yet the adoption of this practice is an uphill battle.

To find another answer to this permanent health menace, the Rotary Club of Rennes, which has been working for several years in Madagascar with another association, Amitiés Madagascar Bretagne, has started a campaign to drill deeper wells, to reach the unsoiled aquifers.
Twenty new wells will thus be sunk in the coming months in 10 villages of the commune. A first step toward the eradication of a large number of recurrent diseases.