In the villages of Gwakwani, Matatani and Mbodi, nothing typifies the plight of residents more than the struggle for water. Traversing this rural realm, broken and disused boreholes dot the landscape – either because of lack of financial resources or expertise to fix them. Goats and donkeys rummage through dry patches of grass and leaves across the dry and desolate landscape. Some stand on broken, concrete slabs – sites of what used to be boreholes. Like residents, the animals are desperate for a source of water.
Now, residents of Gwakwani and Mbodi have seen a vast improvement in the supply of water – all thanks to the University of Johannesburg (UJ). Professor Johan Meyer, together with his team of staff and students from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Science in the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment (FEBE), have installed solar borehole pumps in both Mbodi and Gwakwani. The solar pumps have replaced the diesel-powered borehole pumps that were too costly to the community.
“Due to the difficulties with accessing diesel for the pump, we replaced the diesel-powered pump with a solar powered pump which will at least provide water when the sun is shining. In this dry and hot area, it makes an immeasurable difference,” said Prof Meyer.
During one of their trips to Mbodi village, the team installed a 2700 litre water tank and built a rack for the solar panel to be mounted on. It is one of the two solar-powered boreholes at the village installed by the Research Connect team.
“There was intermittent water supply in the Mbodi area. This borehole will now provide the residents with a sustainable source of water. It will not only do so for the community of Mbodi, but also for the neighbouring communities,” added Prof Meyer.
Shonisani Sigonde, a resident of Mbodi village, says it used to be a difficult process for them to get water. “We truly struggled having to walk for endless kilometres to the nearest village to access water. The lucky few who have donkey carts are able to carry more buckets to get water. The borehole has really made a difference to our lives.”
About 400m from the site, also on the banks of a stream, is another solar-powered borehole capable of providing the community with potable water. From a distance, a group of women could be seen emerging from the site, carrying 20 litre buckets of water on their heads. The borehole does not yield a lot of water, but it’s enough to sustain the need. “It takes a little while before the buckets can fill up, so we have to wait in the queue and be patient,” says one woman, who only identified herself as Maria. “But it’s better than nothing and can’t be worse than before. The borehole really helps.”
The community reaction has been phenomenal, said Prof Meyer.
“People realise the value of infrastructure which provides sustainable potable water. After the first solar borehole pump was installed, the community arranged for people to take turns sleeping next to the borehole to protect the infrastructure because it means so much to them. It is a co-created solution which we developed and implemented with the community.”
The borehole projects in Mbodi have been going on for a year, and the borehole project in Gwakwani has been up and running for the last 10 years.
“Another solar powered borehole is scheduled to be installed and operational by mid-October 2024 at the Matatani Crèche. What is exciting about this borehole is that it is the first that will be sunk and completely equipped through the UJ for Societal Impact initiative,” said Prof Suné von Solms. The water from this borehole will not only provide residents with drinking water, but also serve the operations of the tele-medicine clinic and crèche.
“The benefit of having a sustained source of water is tremendous, not only for drinking but it does help in growing food and makes a huge difference to the community. It makes life possible, something you just can’t live without and having the availability of water when you want it,” added Prof Meyer.
This project not only addresses the sixth Sustainable Development Goal of clean water and sanitation, but it also meets SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) as well as SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) showing UJ’s commitment to a fair and just society.
While the villages are far away from Johannesburg, making it challenging to avail their time more often, the major benefit for the team is that the community members are ready to help and work to make their villages work for them.
“What we see as difficult because of the heat and distance is normal life circumstances for the people of Mbodi and Gwakwani,” said Prof Meyer adding that working on projects that resulted in societal impact presented an opportunity for the UJ students to experience life in a different environment.
“Access to different cultures and languages, as well as the opportunity to see how other people live just to survive, opens their minds. Our engineering students are then able to understand that the country we live in has a diverse set of challenges. Bringing them here is exposing our future engineers to the type of problems South Africa is facing and they can be more prepared to solve the challenges of our citizens in the future.”
Watch the video of the UJ for Societal Impact project here:
