Access to water is a top priority in the Kordofan area of central Sudan, which is has a dry and challenging climate. In Sudan, SOS Sahel UK is increasing the amount of water available and lengthening the time it is accessible in the dry season by rehabilitating traditional hafirs (water reservoirs) and constructing sand and sub-surface dams. This reduces the burden of water collection on women, increases the opportunities for income generation and reduces incidences of conflict over resources, thereby improving the livelihoods of nomadic and settled communities.
Activities
Last year we helped over 8,000 people across five villages to increase their water supplies by rehabilitating their hafirs. With an improved water supply, clashes over water access have considerably reduced in these areas and visiting pastoralists are now welcomed to draw water. This year our activities include:
Sand & sub-surface dams:
- Facilitating a ten-day exchange visit for five key Sudanese people to Kenya see for themselves the potential for this technology and the impact it is having on Kenyan communities.
- Providing four months of apprenticeship training for communities & key development agents in the area, using skilled expertise from Kenya, so that local people (including demobilised soldiers) gain the skills to build their own dams in the future.
- Constructing three sand/sub-surface dams with the local community, to ensure local ownership and the transfer of valuable skills in dam construction and management.
- Constructing & maintaining hafirs: rebuilding earth embankments, de-silting the reservoirs and providing fencing to protect them from contamination by animals.
- Raising awareness amongst and mobilising local communities to participate in the project activities.
- Establishing Water Committees to manage their hafirs sustainably and effectively into the future.
- Training the Water Committees on topics such as book-keeping and organisational management.
Update
The exchange visit to Kenya took place in April 2009, during which the Sudanese team saw sand dam technology in action and the positive impact it is having on Kenya communities. They returned full of enthusiasm for its potential application in Sudan and the training and sand dam constrution has begun. As of January 2010, one sand dam has been completed, the second is in process and the third is expected to be completed by March 2010. SOS Sahel UK is collaborating with the charity Excellent Development to spread this valuable technology further within Sudan.
- Local Pastoralist & Farmers’ Unions
- Local Women & Youth Associations
- Ministry of Agriculture & Animal Resources (Govt. of Sudan)
- Local Range & Pasture Administration (Govt. of Sudan)
- Native Administration