Nyumba ya Masambiro has always been lucky to have good access to water, despite being up the valley from the lake. A natural spring, which flows year-round, even in the dry season, is situated at the top of NYM’s land.
During Covid, this spring water was channelled into a small settling pond and then piped to the Health Centre, just next door to NYM to allow for easy access to clean water that the facility. The remainder continued to flow towards NYM for the needs there.
This December, a team from the NYM staff, the health centre staff and some experts from the community centre worked together to rechannel the water. A fresh concrete reinforced settling tank was built, as well as a water tank able to hold approximately 1,000litres at a time. Pipework was installed to pipe the water from the storage tank direct to both the health centre and a newly installed stand pipe at Nyumba ya Masambiro.
The new system better preserves and channels the water to both institutions, allowing for cleaning, flushing toilets and showers at the health centre and a constant supply of water at NYM, which many community members who live up the valley away from the lake come to use on a daily basis.
The trees planted by the EARTH Workshops team from Nkhata bay will continue to preserve the spring as a water source for years to come, and a bamboo fence protects the water source from roaming and grazing animals, keeping the water source clean and safe.
Phunzira 