Well in Kenewal (Senegal)

We are in the village of Kenewal (Baghere Municipality, Sedhiou Region, Senegal). The project involves the construction of a mini-forage, i.e., a well 30 to 40 meters deep (depending on the water table), equipped with a solar lift system and a UV decontamination and sterilization plant to promote accessibility to potable water and contribute to the improvement of sanitation conditions in the area.
Accessibility to primary services and infrastructure are absent here, from which it follows that the majority of the population draws on water resources contaminated by environmental and climatic phenomena, but also by the fact that 88 percent of the region's inhabitants live in dwellings that dispose of household waste in the street, in the wild, or in illegal dumps. Life expectancy is below the national average, and 2 out of 3 children are at risk of entering a stage of malnutrition resulting in mortality and morbidity. About 80% of children under 5 years old are at risk of contracting diarrhea, giardia and cholera also due to the absence of vaccines and inaccessibility to medical care being the poor population.
The situation is alarming and we must necessarily act! Climate change, advancing desert, lack of water and sewerage networks, poverty and lack of infrastructure means that drinking water is now a luxury commodity and a rarity. Almost all families living in rural areas drink water daily from traditional wells, i.e., pits dug in the ground where the surface deposited water is contaminated by climatic and anthropogenic actions as well as full of deposits. Yet, this, is the only water available and unless you want to die of thirst you have to drink it at the risk of contracting diseases and infections quodially that can even lead to death. Here because of this the risk of infant mortality is above the national average.
With the construction of one of our wells, 60-70% of diseases due to contaminated water are greatly reduced. The population, as a result of the construction, will therefore draw from a purified and sterilized source of drinking water, and the social impact will be evident especially in the cases of reduced diarrhea, infant mortality and infections for children having an age of 2 to 10 years. As the well becomes fully operational and sanitary conditions stabilize, the results will stabilize in the long term.

The mini-forage is a deep well that reaches the water table. Its depth can be up to 40 meters, depending on the presence of the aquifer and the type of subsoil. The excavation is made with drilling machines and then protected from erosion and collapses by means of suitably arranged cylinders inside which the hydraulic pump will descend. Inside the pit a strong pressure for water extraction which is then stimulated by the solar lifting pump. The pit will fill with water due to the water pressure of the underground aquifer and will be recharged seasonally depending on the rainfall cycle, also being a well much deeper than traditional wells the water is less polluted and there is a lower amount of fixed residues.

Inside the excavation is installed a submersible pump powered by solar anergy through a photovoltaic station, which is then equipped with solar panels from 250 to 500w (depending on the depth) and batteries that allow solar energy to be stored and reused at any time of the day. This is controlled with a control station and a solar controller and inverter. The water extracted by the pump is sent to a phased filtration system: an initial filtration takes place through a pre-filter with membranes that removes sediment and dust, the water then passes through an Inox pipe with a UV lamp which sterilizes the water and eliminates bacteria ( this is the same sterilization normally done to sterilize surgical instruments). The sterilized water is, finally, sent to a Osmotic membrane filter that eliminates 95-98% of bacteria including, for example, cholera, staphylococcus, and giardia. The water coming out of osmosis is inviene collected in sterile basins to be ready for beneficiaries' use and connected to taps that are easily used by the community.

Beneficiary community participation
The project is implemented with the Direct participation of the local community, in order to create awareness and knowledge about environmental issues and the phenomena that cause groundwater contamination, as well as good water resource management practices, the area of intervention being at risk of desertification. A special local well committee is formed and appointed, which will be in charge of monitoring, maintenance and management of the well in full autonomy. Balouo Salo will be responsible for conducting periodic monitoring visits and performance monitoring.

Goals
The implementation of the project will achieve the following goals and benefits:
- Allow the free access to potable water, filtered and purified to a large community of more than 5 villages;
- Improving health conditions Of the community;
- Reduce cases of infant mortality due to giarda cholera and diarrhea (consequence of contaminated water in other wells);
- Promoting access to thewater even in the dry season;
- Reducing distances for procurement Of drinking water.

Catchment area of influence of beneficiaries
The project is located in the far south of Senegal, in the Sedhiou region, one of the most disadvantaged and least developed nationwide. The village of Kenewal, which benefits from the project, is located on the N6 national road and a reduced of the area's most important villages Tanaff and Baghere, which together have more than 12,000 inhabitants, while the village of Kenewal has 1,000 people, but there are 3 other villages in the vicinity with a total of crica 5,000 people.
Due to the proximity to the national road anyone passing through can benefit from the project which thus acquires an important number of beneficiaries both direct (due to proximity to Baghere) and indirect.
Goal: Reduce malnutrition and infant mortality
With the realization of one of our wells the 60-70% of disease due to contaminated water is greatly reduced. The population, as a result of the construction, will therefore tap into a source of drinking water purified and sterilized and the social impact will be evident especially in cases of reduction of diarrhea, infant mortality and infections for children having an age range of 2 to 10 years. As the well comes on line and sanitary conditions stabilize, the results will stabilize in the long term.

Children (under 5 years of age), the elderly (over 60 years of age), and pregnant women are most at risk for contracting diseases and infections from drinking contaminated water, which can bring short- and long-term harm. In the adjacent graph, we show how the percentage of these Subjects at risk is between 70 and 85 percent, while with the realization of the well, this estimated percentage Will be reduced below 20%, thus making it possible to reduce the risk of infant mortality and malnutrition, increase life expectancy, and avoid the weakening of mothers and breastfeeders, which is often the cause of malnutrition, disease, and mortality for infants and the mothers themselves.