One of the most effective weapons in the arsenal that is currently available in the fight against COVID-19 is hand washing. For the better part of this year, we have become used to washing our hands before entering offices, eateries, and even our own homes. Whereas washing our hands twice a day used to suffice, 6 to 10 times is no longer unusual for the majority of the people that venture out of their homes.
The dramatic increase in hand washing has exacerbated an existing challenge of providing Nairobi and other urban areas with a reliable clean supply of water. The existing water reservoirs to Nairobi that were strained before COVID-19 now can simply not cope. A recent ‘fare sharing’ rationing schedule from the government mandated water supply and regulatory body, guarantees that every household gets flowing water for only 2 days in a week. This means that in these 2 days, every household should store water to last them for the rest of the week; a rather unsustainable solution, whichever way you look at it.
Institutions that host a large number in a short period of time are especially disadvantaged by the rationing. It is for this reason that Ridgeways Baptist Church commissioned W4W to drill a borehole in their church compound in Ridgeways. In September 2020, the borehole with a capacity of 4 cubic meters per second was drilled to a depth of 250m.
With a regular congregation that runs from hundreds to thousands at any one worship day, this intervention by Ridgeways Baptist Church will ensure that they have enough water for hand washing for everyone visiting the sanctuary, and hence continue to actively participate in the fight against COVID-19.
