Fresh water for Tinga Tinga Village, West Kilimanjaro

Present water supply is intermittent, shared with the cattle, and often very filthy. Boreholes have not proved very fruitful in the area; and the drilling is very expensive. The preferred solution is to rebuild the pipeline to an old colonial reservoir high on the Shira slope of Kilimanjaro.

The requirement is for over 20kms of pipeline. Costs have been assessed by the Regional Water engineer at over $50,000.

EVPA who climbed Kilimanjaro to raise funds in January 2005, have committed enough monies to complete this major and important project.

By the end of January 05 we had already sent out the first tranche of their funds and bought and delivered to the region 300 pipes - enough to complete an important section of the pipeline.

Later in 2005 the next batch of pipes were delivered and the villagers dug the trench to lay the pipes on a section from the old water source (located on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro) down towards Ndarakwai - a small region adjacent to Tinga Tinga.

Delays in starting the next phase then followed due to elections, change of government and change of district commissioner. Finally in October 2007 representatives of CPA and ACEDE met at Tinga Tinga. Now a further tranche of funds has been sent out and the second phase of the project was agreed with the village elders. This phase will lead new pipes up along the old colonial pipeline to a new and higher water source. This water source is located deep in the rain forest on Kilimanjaro and is less likely to be damaged by people, cattle and wildlife. We are dismayed to announce that local district officials representing two district authorities covered by the pipeline continue to argue over the extension to the pipeline so the work remains on hold. ACEDE are negotiating to end this halt to the work.

Full report of the October visit, project costs and donors available from CPA