Sun, Water, Cabagge and Perch

Kenya: Climate change is catastrophic here

More than ever, droughts and floods are plaguing Kenya.

This results in:

• falling ground water levels and increased salinization
• more conflicts over water and pasture land
• animals dying of thirst, failed harvests and a worsening food situation,
• women and children are required to walk longer distances to draw water.

Global commitment enables an innovative technology transfer to sustainably improve the water supply in numerous villages in Kenya. For example, in the form of WaterKiosk^®

Access to clean water is limited, especially in rural areas

Burani is a village located in the southeast of Kenya, about a three-hour drive from the port of Mombasa. Fish was not easy to get there. Between 2012 and 2019, the water table dropped from 45 to 145 meters.

The results:

• Adolescents in particular suffered infections due to unsanitary conditions
• Small children suffered from malnutrition
• Fetching water meant a two-hour trek for women and children. Alternatives such as motorcycle and truck transport required expensive fuel.

In the summer of 2019, a Berlin-based start-up called Boreal Light opened a battery-free solar water desalination system equipped with LANXESS reverse osmosis membranes, that produces hygienic drinking water for the villagers.

A SOLUTION FOR THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WITHOUT A SUPPLY NETWORK

For 6,000 people from Burani and the surrounding villages, the plant desalinates around 20,000 liters of drinking water per day, while also removing bacteria and viruses. The electric power needed is generated by solar panels installed on the roof of the Burani WaterKiosk^®.

The advantages:

• Villagers have access to clean drinking water. Time-consuming fetching and boiling of contaminated water are no longer necessary.
• There is no need to cut wood for fuel (leading to deforestation) and transport water over long distances.
• Sustainable access to fresh water enables the cultivation of fruit and vegetables, as well as fish farming.
• Excess solar power generated – not needed for water treatment – is available for other purposes.

 

How the WaterKiosk^® works

The WaterKiosk^® concept is impressive thanks to its simplicity of construction and maintenance. It provides water at a particularly low cost, only a fraction of the usual market price.

Its basic elements include:

• Solar cells on the roof to produce electricity.
• This powers three types of pump; submersible, feed and booster pumps.
• Eight reverse osmosis units – also powered by solar energy – decontaminate and desalinate the ground water.
• Villagers can now purchase potable water cheaply. 20 liters of hygienic drinking water cost 10 cents.
• Solar power also supplies electricity for a combined fish breeding and plant cultivation operation, which has a closed water cycle.
• Nile perch, tilapia, cabbage and tomatoes all thrive here.
• Last but not least, the village school now also has electric power and villagers can recharge their mobile phones at the WaterKiosk^® works.
• Wastewater from the machine processes is recycled for use in toilets.

 

People at the WaterKiosk^®, where they can maintain the system themselves.

Implementing the human right to water is an excellent idea

The Berlin start-up Boreal Light was the national winner in the 2019 KfW Gründen Award competition, where co-founders Ali Al-Hakim and Hamed Beheshti also won the 2019-KfW-Gründen-Audience Prize and international awards. They intend to supply more than half a million people with clean drinking water by the end of 2020.

Important: Roll-out in Africa

Africa plays practically no role in global warming. But the consequences of climate change severely affect the continent. LANXESS provides support for solidarity-based activities and the WaterKiosk^® concept