”Perfect!” This is the word that CREATE! Executive Director Barry Wheeler used to describe the installation of the integrated solar water pumping and gravity-fed water storage and irrigation network in the Thieneba Community Garden. This was Barry’s first visit to the new Thieneba site since the CREATE! Field Team installed the system with help from community members in December 2013.
Executive Director, Barry Wheeler, listens as CREATE! Field Technician, Macky Ndour, and Cooperative President, Mere Top, discuss work schedules for the Thieneba Garden site.
During his visit to the site Barry spoke with the President of the Thieneba Women’s Cooperative, Mere Top, and the former Village Chief Moussa Ndiaye, as well as current Village Chief Top and many members of the Cooperative Garden Group.
With the solar pumping system in place, water is now pumped effortlessly from the well into an elevated, 1,320-gallon reservoir. Gravity then takes over to disburse water from the reservoir to the four interconnected,1,050-gallon storage basins built on the gardening site, providing 5,520 gallons of above-ground water storage at all times.
Community leaders and group members expressed their appreciation to Barry and the CREATE! Team for all that we have done in collaboration with the community to provide them with access to abundant quantities of fresh, clean water from their well, thanks to the solar powered pumping system that provides more than 2000 gallons daily.
While watering the garden is the first priority for the water, the entire community appreciates the convenient availability of fresh drinking water. Said Cooperative President Mere, “Before CREATE! installed the pump we women would spend from morning until afternoon drawing water by hand. Now we all come to the garden site in the evening and take water to our homes just by turning on the tap. We are so happy!”
Members of the Thienba Garden Cooperative appreciate having easy access to abundant quantities of water for the vegetables they’re growing during the 9-month dry season.