INITIAL INVESTIGATION OF NON-FUNCTIONAL WATER WELLS IN RURAL TANZANIA VILLAGES

In Tanzania, approximately 40% of rural water points are nonfunctional impacting nearly 23 million people. We report results and analyses of site assessments of 45 non-functional rural water points to identify opportunities for improved water access. At these locations, infrastructure and low well yields are more frequent challenges than poor water quality. All of the wells require an improved power source and/or infrastructure to operate adequately. Fourteen of the locations do not have yields high enough to meet basic health needs. Twelve locations had nitrate and/or fluoride concentrations (two of the commonly known contaminants in Tanzanian groundwater) above the drinking water recommendations. Nine of the eighteen locations that were sampled for coliforms had detectable levels. A regional trend of coliform contamination could not be discerned from the limited samples. Additional boreholes, alternative water resources, and alternative power supplies (solar in place of electric) are needed to meet water needs.