WaterAid taps on the shoulder of a mountain

Kombagora village is situated atop a steep, narrow ridge within the rugged Prince Alexander Mountains on the North Coast of Papua New Guinea.

The women and children in the village make up to three trips a day to collect water, coming down the slippery side of the mountain to the creek below, often barefoot and in darkness.

On average each person in rural Papua New Guinea uses around 20 liters of water a day.  Rita, a 35 year-old mother from the village, used to make three trips to the creek each morning to provide water for her family of six.

My whole life I have walked for an hour every day to collect water from the creek. Now, I will walk maybe five minutes.

The people of Kombagora used to share the creek with several neighboring villages for washing and bathing, creating a risk of contamination.

Rita explained that when the children and elders fell sick, she had to make six or more trips for water in a day.

Since June 2007, WaterAid in Papua New Guinea has been working in partnership with local NGO HELP Resources using the integrated approach to providing safe water, sanitation and hygiene education.

The project is funded by the European Commission’s Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project and Arup.

Rita, along with the 440 residents of Kombagora, will save more than one day a week in time through the provision of a gravity flow water system which provides nearby spring water at seven tap points in the village.

In hilly areas, water can be piped down to communities from higher water sources through gravity-fed schemes.  The spring or small unpolluted stream is tapped, dammed and protected at its source before being piped down to storage tanks in villages. Distribution pipes then feed protected tapstands allowing people to draw water close to their homes.

Rita remarks, “My whole life I have walked for an hour every day to collect water from the creek for my family.  Now, I will walk maybe five minutes.”

The women of Kombagora hope to create the best life possible for themselves and their families.  The gravity flow water system will bring them a step closer to this goal.

Approximately 91,000 ‘woman’ hours will be gained by the people of Kombagora every year simply through improved access to water.

Rita explains, “The village’s new water taps will help me a lot.  They will give me time to look after my younger children and I will have more time to spend at the market, earning money for their education.”