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Case

Photovoltaics

Solar energy

Water management

+1

Solar powered water supply system helps put down roots in Kenya

19. November 2010

Solution provider

Grundfos

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For the Kwatella tribe, finding adequate grazing land and water for their livestock has been the driving force in their lives for centuries.

Severe droughts in the end of the 1970’s saw the gathering of several nomadic clans around feeding centres, where water and food could be had for both people and livestock alike. The community of Kaikor, approximately 700 km north west of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, is one such place. Foreign aid plays an important role in this impoverished area, including the establishment of a permanent water supply.

The arid climate in Turkana prohibits sustainable, large-scale farming, thus making the grazing of livestock to be the only viable alternative for the Kwatella. Their herds mainly consist of goats, but also camels, cattle, and donkeys are present. The years of drought have however eradicated many herds. The residents of the Kaikor settlement are those who have lost their animals, and thus their livelihood.

The 2,500 residents of Kaikor were furthermore dependent on shallow wells, dug in riverbeds during the rainy seasons for most of their water. After two or three months, however, these wells would dry out, forcing them to travel long distances for water from springs and boreholes.

A Grundfos SQFlex Solar solution was donated to the community by an external aid agency. The large solar panels collect the energy from the sun, utilising it to draw water from deep below the parched soil. Since being installed, the Grundfos SQFlex Solar installation has performed flawlessly, pumping life-giving water to the Turkana and their livestock.