Tanzania has two rainy seasons. The first, which is the main rainy season, or ‘long rains’, lasts about three months during March, April, and May. They are heavy and frequently come in afternoon downpours. The second season is known as the ‘short rains’. These rains are much lighter and occur during the months of November and December.
During the long rains, a tremendous volume of rain falls. Flooding often occurs at the school and in the village of Tloma. Hundreds, if not thousands of liters of clean, fresh rainwater are lost each year as it runs uncollected off the school’s tin roofs. This is water that could otherwise be used to greatly benefit the school in many ways.
A water catchment system, or rainwater harvesting system, like the one shown in this illustration, would provide Tloma Primary School with clean, fresh water for preparing school lunches, handwashing and other hygiene, and to irrigate the school’s garden. The garden is key to providing nutritious vegetables that supplement the students’ normal lunch of maize and beans.
Water stored in the catchment system can be used to mitigate the effects of the dry season and potentially provide some water during times of drought. An added benefit of a catchment system that collects rainwater from the roof is that it helps to decrease the amount of mud in the area around the building where the catchment system is located, reducing the amount of mud students must walk through…and track into the classrooms.
The Plan
Our plan is to purchase two 5,000-liter tanks for actual storage of rainwater. The plan includes purchase of all of the gutters to collect the rainwater runoff, plus the piping, fittings, joints, connectors, screens, etc., required to build out the system. Labor costs have been factored into the total. The system will be fed by the runoff from the roof of two of the school’s larger buildings.
Photo source: CTCN