Try to imagine if you can, living for 25 years without access to potable water.
The community at UCK Township in the DRC survived for those years by:
• digging shallow wells along the Musonoi River Valley and drawing water
• collecting water from infiltrations at Kingamyambo Tailings Dam or from the Dilala River waste water system. The potability of that water though, was always questionable.
During the Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) performed by Metalkol RTR in these communities, access to potable water was ranked as the second major challenge the UCK township community was keen to tackle.
Metalkol RTR proposed measures to solve the access to water issue. The operation commissioned the drilling of a new borehole, equipping it with a solar panel-powered pump for the community. A water co-operative was also formed to manage and maintain the new water distribution system.