Drinking water sources for Toma city

Burkina Faso

Project name: The development of the new water supply system
in Toma city, Burkina Faso 
Financed by: Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic 
Implemented by: Ircon Ltd., Poyry Environment a.s.
Project partner: National Office of Water and Sanitation (ONEA)
Implementation period: 2007

People of Burkina Faso face depletion of water sources as other population in this region, the same scarcity of water resources.  Population of Toma city, the capital of Nayala province, also used to have problems with insufficient quantity and quality of drinking water.  Wet period lasts only four months and within the rest of the year the average temperature exceeds 35°C, in addition, it is an enormous evaporation there. Local people don't’ have a single source of safe potable water within the walking distance from the town centre. Locals used to get drinking water only from the underground sources, such as traditional dug wells of various depths and diameters, mostly un-protected against contamination from domestic animals.  A few deeper wells with simple manual pump system are used as well. However, more than a half of these wells were out of order due to mechanical defects on the pumping equipment and due to bad conditions of the building constructions.

As a response to this urgent situation, Czech Official Development Assistance (ODA) project has been implemented since July 2007 till the end of 2007. This project was financed by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic within its ODA program and partially by the National Office of Water and Sanitation (ONEA), Burkina Faso. 

The project was focused on strengthening of access of local citizens to drinking water in Toma, and followed previous Czech ODA activities implemented in the area.The project main objectives were connection of newly identified water sources Toma-north to the elevated water tank through a new delivery pipeline (approx. 3 km). Three wells each 60-80m deep have been equipped by new pumps, and new pumping system for the newly constructed technical service house was built and put into operation. Based on best environmental practice approach, local suppliers of the individual facilities such as pumps, electro valves, tubes and others have been arranged through local companies. Also main water supply line in the city has been prolonged and 138 new individual connections were built.  Connections were drawn to group of houses, which usually occupies one broader family.  In co-operation with the project partner, the Poyry Environment Inc., detailed drawings and project documentations were also prepared and given to the recipient of the project.

Thanks to the implementation of the project, majority of inhabitants have instant un-interrupted approach to safe drinking water, with low maintenance and operation costs.