WATER PROGRAMME

The Water Program of the Catholic Diocese of Nakuru (CDN) was created in 1985. Today the program employs around 60 people and operates in several areas, the major ones being; drilling of deep wells, construction of water schemes and rainwater harvesting. The water program is divided into three sections, Drilling, Supplies and Quality.

WATER QUALITY

Headed by:   Mr. Peter Maina Mutheki

While working on the water projects, it became apparent that high levels of fluoride in the water made it unsafe for cooking or drinking. CDN took the challenge of finding a way to bring the level of fluoride down to an acceptable level. By drawing on experience from the Water Program, the CDN developed a filter system using bone char to clean the water of fluoride.
 

  DE-FLUORIDATION METHOD

The defluoridation method used by Catholic Diocese of Nakuru is the "bonechar method'. The fluoride is removed from the water by passing it through the bonechar filter material where fluoride is absorbed in the gravels, letting the fluoride free water from the filter. The bonechar method was selected as the most appropriate for the following reasons"

FLUOROSIS

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends a maximum 1.5 milligram fluoride per litre of water for human consumption. The water from most of the boreholes in Kenya's Rift Valley Province exceeded that level. A third of the boreholes contain three times the permissible levels of fluoride.

The high level of fluoride in the drinking water causes a fluoride poisoning resulting in a disease called fluorosis.

Fluorosis develops slowly while the fluoride is absorbed in the skeleton and the teeth. The symptoms of fluorosis are;
 

	Browning and chipping of the teeth. The teeth are already damaged while still in the formation stages in the gums. Once the new teeth become visible it is too late to intervene.
	Disturbed growth of skeleton resulting in deformities. This is especially a problem in the joints as it restricts movement, in several cases causing complete immobility.
	Fluorosis is a lifelong and painful disease. Once affected, there is no real cure. The deformed skeleton and teeth will not recover.

There is no cure for fluorosis. But it can easily be prevented !

HOUSEHOLD FILTER

The household filter is a bucket size that can supply 5 - 12 persons with 10 - 15 litres per day of fluoride free water for drinking and cooking.

For more information contact

Water Quality
Catholic Diocese of Nakuru
P.O. Box 938, 20100Nakuru
Tel: + 254 51 2216264/5
Fax: + 254 51 2214151
Email: cdnwaterquality@yahoo.com

WATER SUPPLIES PROGRAMME

Headed by:    Mr. Joseph Wahiu

Since there are multiple factors contributing to poverty among the target groups, the Water Supplies section adopts an integrated approach in fighting poverty within the country. In this regard the section deals with water resource development and management, food security, agriculture, environment and social development of the target groups.

Section Components

The Water Supplies section consists of three functional subsections namely; Civil Works Section, Electro-mechanical section and the Animation section. This civil works section deals with survey, planning and design of water project development of gravity schemes and pumping systems, spring protections, construction of masonry and concrete storage tanks. installations of hand pumps in shallow wells, and small scale irrigation schemes and community training. The Electro - mechanical works is charged with the responsibility of test pumping of boreholes, installations of production pumps, power generating set installations, maintenance of pumps and engines and electrical installations while the Animation section is responsible for awareness campaign, community mobilization, needs assessment and baseline surveys.
Training and capacity building is emphasized in Water Supplies section in order to enhance sustainability of the achieved development

Electro - mechanical works

 

WATER DRILLING PROGRAMME

Headed By:  Mr. Patrick Mwagangi

In 1990, the demand for groundwater was on the increase in many areas of the CDN that were less endowed with surface water resources. Exploitation of deep groundwater through drilled boreholes became inevitable and for this reason, there was need for establishing a Drilling Program in the CDN. The diocese then bought the drilling equipment from the diocese of Lodwar.
The program acquired a second drilling unit in 1997 with additional objective of facilitating the drilling in other Dioceses in Kenya, particularly at a time of poor quality work provided by most of the local commercial drilling contractors.

 

Equipment and Establishment

To date, the section has a strong back-up of facilities and equipment, and a team of more than 25 professionals.

Main activities of the section are:- 

Achievements 

From its inception in 1990, the section has drilled 340 boreholes within and without the CDN. At the same time, a total of 73 boreholes have been rehabilitated of average depth 140 metres and at the rate of 0.5 boreholes per month. 162 boreholes have been equipped with submersible pumps, 115 with hand pumps and 10 with windmills.

Beneficiaries (or target groups) of the borehole water supplies are:-

• Poor communities and other disadvantaged groups who may be assisted by other agencies with Water Programme being the project implementer.
• Communities in average and high potential areas who can meet the 100% of total project cost and or assisted by other agencies with Water
• programme being the Project Implementer.
• Institutions, organizations, industries and individuals who will meet the
• 100% of the total project cost.

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OUR  MISSION: To Promote Pastoral & Human Development through Evangelization & Community Mobilization