Clean Water Improves Patient Care in Rural Zambia

The progress on the water project during the last three months focused on preparation of the site where the water tanks will be installed. The site by the Zambezi River was cleared and holes were dug for concrete footings that will support the steel scaffolding. A platform at the top of the scaffolding will hold four water tanks. The tanks, when full, will have an estimated weight of 160 tons. Because of the weight of the tanks, preparing a solid, strong base is critical. To ensure the concrete base is capable of supporting the weight of four full water tanks, eight concrete columns are supported by steel bar frames and are buried at a depth of 2 meters.  A 150mm (6-inch) thick concrete slab connects all of the columns, providing stabilization and additional strength for the base. Both the concrete columns and the slab are cured to reach their maximum strength. Pictures of the steps involved in this process are attached to this report.

The construction of the steel scaffolding will commence as soon as the materials arrive in Mwandi. Once erected, the scaffolding will be topped by a steel platform and the tanks will be lifted to the platform using a crane. The tanks will be positioned for the best weight distribution and will be filled with water by a pump located at the river's edge. The pump will be able to fill the tanks in about 6 hours. The pumped water will be filtered for large particles before entering the tank and a UV filter will purify the water after it leaves the tanks and before it is delivered to the hospital. 

If all goes well, the project will be completed by the end of January, 2020. Thanks to our generous donors, we have made great progress toward completing this project in less than a year! We look forward to sharing the pictures of a completed project in our next report.