Türkiye takes on Africa’s water scarcity problem with well-digging projects

More than two billion folks worldwide are unable to entry clear consuming water, notably in Africa, on account of geographical constraints, lack of infrastructure, drought and difficult social and political circumstances.

Africa has simply 9% % of the world’s freshwater sources within the Congo, Zambezi, Niger, Nile rivers, and Lake Victoria. It’s the second driest continent on this planet. Millions of Africans face water shortages, leaving a big growth hole between the continent and the remainder of the world.

In latest years, Türkiye, together with non-governmental civil society organisations and state establishments, has been actively working to stop water shortage, present deprived communities in rural areas with clear water, and assemble lots of of water wells and dams throughout the continent.

Pumps, wells and purification

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) has applied quite a lot of well-digging and water-purification tasks on a regional and nationwide degree.

The company has established a complete of 303 wells throughout varied international locations, together with 80 in Nigeria, 27 in Ethiopia, 41 in Sudan, 78 in Burkina Faso, 30 in Mali, 30 in West Africa, and 17 in Somalia, the place the issue is most pressing and in want of consideration.

As a part of the Somalia Clean Water Access Project, 19 deep-drilled wells have been offered for service, and water tanks, distribution networks and fountains have been facilitated at varied areas.

The Somalia Deep Drilled Well Project, which was carried out with the Turkish state-run TIKA and the State Hydraulic Works (DSI), has offered for the wants of 1000’s of individuals within the area. 

In addition, in Ethiopia’s Shinille Region, a reservoir and caisson nicely have been inbuilt response to the water downside and offered to the service of the Ethiopian folks.

TIKA has additionally offered potable water to poor communities in Sudan’s southeastern Sennar State, donating three kilometers of water pipeline, six 40-ton water tanks, a number of laundry rooms and water filling models and an electrical pump and pumping station to the native Sudanese authorities.

TIKA has submitted to the authorities the pedal powered water pumps to fight drought in Uganda, which is distributed to the farmers in Teso area. 

Musa Echweru, the Minister of Works and Transport, Teso representatives of Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), thanked TIKA within the open ceremony for its “meaningful support”.

“Happily, OWC contacted TIKA, which is the helping hand of this brother country. Today what you see here is not only your own future but your children’s as well. Let’s bring life to our fertile land in this period of drought and then reap the fruits! The Republic of Türkiye has come and reached us from very far away. Let’s turn this into an opportunity,”he mentioned.

State Hydraulic Works of Türkiye, DSİ, has constructed the Ambouli Friendship Dam in Djibouti, the place the periodic flooding steadily hits the area that’s house to nearly 75 % of the nation’s whole inhabitants, to offer flooding and create an efficient agricultural floor. The dam additionally capabilities to generate consuming water for the folks within the area.

The Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), the charitable organisation of Türkiye’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, has offered hundreds of thousands of individuals with entry to wash water by constructing 890 new water wells and fountains in lots of African international locations corresponding to Burkina Faso, Niger, and Togo, as a part of a challenge underneath the slogan “A Drop of Life”.

The Turkish Red Crescent (Turk Kizilay), another important charity organisation, has recently donated 20 solar-powered water wells to the people of Kayunga district in central Uganda with the aim of benefiting more than 100 households that suffer from the scarcity and poor water quality.

Selcuk Ozturk, the head of international projects and programs at the Turkish Red Crescent, said they opened 20 water wells, in addition to the others were opened in 2021, with the cooperation Uganda Red Cross Society, adding that each water well has a 10-cubic-metre-water storage tank and 15 taps with the capacity to supply 3.500 every day.

By providing safe drinking water with the 46 wells that have been set up across six countries like Chad, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda and Sudan, the organisation aims to meet the needs of thousands of beneficiaries.

Türkiye is devoted to coming up with more initiatives in the field of developing the continent’s clean water resources. 

For instance, Lake Chad, one of the most strategically significant lakes on the African continent, has recently faced the possibility of drying, endangering the need for clean, healthy water, agriculture and living diversity. To protect the lake, the Turkish government is planning to build a canal from the Chari river that feeds the fresh water body.

The initiatives that the Turkish authorities launched in Africa to deal with the problems with entry to wash and drinkable water and sanitation which can be nonetheless current in lots of areas are shifting ahead at high pace.

Source: TRTWorld and companies