A sand dam is a reinforced concrete wall built on bedrock across a seasonal sandy river to collect water and sand during the rainy season and store it for use during the dry season. When it rains, the dam captures soil-laden water behind it - the sand in the water sinks to the bottom, whilst the silt remains suspended in the water. HAO has found sand dams to be the most cost-effective method of water harvesting, conservation and recharging in dry land and very remote environments.
Any society is as dignified as its ability to sustain itself. By the same token, no society can aspire to lasting honor with begging bowls in hand. Sadly, this is the case in the extremely dry East Pokot where 90% lack skills and access to credit facilities, 1% earn averagely less than US$300 annually, literacy and poverty rates are 4% and 67%. Without food and water, Pokots experience deaths annually. Periodic droughts and famines result in hunger, poverty, conflict and economic stagnation.
The project proposes construction of 1 sand dam. The planning and construction will be preceded by a detailed feasibility study to determine design concepts and engineering features. Sand dams provide year-round source of clean water close to people's homes. A mature sand dam holds 1-3 million gallons of water at any given time serving more than 1000 households and 3,000 livestock. Potential demand for sand dams worldwide could be for as much as 3 million dams supporting 1 billion people by 2060
HAO has constructed 7 sand dams since 2016 and provided sustainable solutions to water scarcity, climate change resilience, environmental conservation and food and nutritional security in arid regions. Our interventions have ensured women and girls spend less than 1hr in search for water, down from 8hrs. This has freed more than 210hrs per person monthly; which the community members employ in education, farming, gainful employment and hope for generations to come. This changes everything.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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