Solar energy powers clean water, biz opportunities for the refugees

DAR ES SALAAM, June 24, (RTRS): Sadick Thenest remembers how his 8-year-old daughter had a narrow brush with death two years ago, when she contracted cholera after drinking contaminated water.

“She was so gaunt, weak and had terrible diarrhoea,” said the refugee from Burundi. “A slight delay in rushing her to hospital would have meant something else — but with God’s grace she survived.”

The father of four, aged 35, is among thousands of refugees grappling with frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases in the crowded Nyarugusu camp in western Tanzania, due to poor sanitation.

“Living in a refugee camp is a constant struggle. You either stick to health rules or contract diseases,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

The health risks in Nyarugusu camp — home to around 100,000 refugees, mainly from Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo — have grown due to an influx of people this year, amid spikes in the political instability afflicting both countries.

But Thenest, who came to the camp two years ago at the height of political tensions in Burundi, has learned how to protect his family from bouts of diarrhoeal diseases — a major cause of death in children under five.

“I always ensure that my children use clean and safe water,” he said. “I have instructed them to wash their hands with soap after using a toilet.”

Thenest, who works as a technician with international engineering charity Water Mission, said the health situation in the camp is improving as more people get access to clean water from a recently installed solar-powered water treatment facility.

As part of a broader initiative to help refugees access clean energy and sanitation, Water Mission is installing more such plants in three refugee camps in western Tanzania.

The $5.3 million project, funded by the Denmark-based Poul Due Jensen Foundation, is expected to provide safe water for some 250,000 refugees in Nyarugusu, Nduta and Mtendeli camps.

Benjamin Filskov, Water Mission’s country director, said “huge” investment in solar technologies by the organisation would help communities access clean and safe water, and contribute towards achieving the world’s development goals.

According to Water Mission, the Tanzania project aims to pump 100 percent of the water using solar power, with diesel generators as back up.

A recent shipment of 780 solar panels to Tanzania will produce 226,000 watts of power and provide a continuous supply of safe water to keep children in good health, it said in a statement.

With rising use of renewable energy, refugee communities in Africa and the Middle East are increasingly embracing solar power to help build their economic resilience, reduce deforestation and prevent violence against women and girls.