Limited Water Supply

Though Ngenge is bounded by two rivers, the Greek and the Atari, they flow with several types diseases. Common practice is to draw water from these rivers because as the demand at the boreholes is so great residents must sometimes wait in line hours before they can pump water from the ground for themselves. Also because of the sparsity of the boreholes residents are forced to, in many instances, travel miles on foot each day just get water.

Surface Water Issues

Drawing water from the rivers offers an easier solution for many of the residents. The problem is these rivers contain diseases like dysentery, diarrhea, and typhoid. Several risks where noted by eMi’s team concerning surface water contamination. In particular, bathing, washing clothes, and watering animals is commonly practiced upstream to where many people draw water for drinking and other domestic purposes. The presence of E. coli bacteria was tested as positive in the river sources. This is an indicator of fecal contamination. Fecal matter can have many disease causing organisms, including typhoid, cholera, and other microorganisms that lead to diarrhea. All the functioning boreholes, except for two, tested negative for coliform bacteria leaving only 6 uncontaminated/functioning boreholes for the whole Ngenge sub-county.

Boiling Water
Boiling water drawn from rivers and contaminated wells would be a viable solution for dealing with the threat of disease. Boiling the water however, conflicts with many of the residents source of income. As discussed, apart from cattle raising and agriculture the only other source of income is the creation of charcoal to be sold in local markets. To boil the water, people would be using up their source of income, the wood or charcoal that they would otherwise sell, as fuel for the fire needed to boil the water.

Aquifers

Another problem with the existing boreholes is that, according to government data, they were drilled according to population centers not aquifers and as such they have relatively low flow rates making it more difficult for residents to draw water. One goal of the eMi team will be to properly survey drill sight locations and base them according to areas of high yield Aquifers rather than simply areas like population centers which promise variable return.

Government Community Health Center

A Government Community Health Center (CHC) in Ngenge near the Sub-county headquarters has long been established to meet the health needs of the people in the entire sub-county. Most residents require the CHC for water related diseases including diarrhea, worms, and even skin rashes (from lack of bathing water), but these diseases could be cured at the source by taking preemptive procedures rather than posterior. By offering a clean water supply we can greatly improve sanitation, reduce the threat of water related diseases, and thus reduce the mortality rate of citizens of the Ngenge sub-county.