VPA 211 Sierra Leone Safe Water

Sierra Leone faces major challenges in safe water provision, particularly in rural areas where over 50% of the population lacks access to an improved water source. Even where improved sources such as boreholes are available, it is estimated that approximately 95% of sources are contaminated by diseases linked to poor sanitation such as E-coli. As in other parts of sub-Saharan Africa, the lack of access to safe water or to any other means of purification means that rural households are forced to boil water in order to purify it, thereby causing significant damage to ecosystems and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The project team is working closely with CODE-SL, a local organisation in Sierra Leone, to rehabilitate and maintain boreholes and to ensure that good sanitation practices are followed in communities. The sanitation element is crucial, as it is crucial to keep the area around the borehole free of contamination to ensure that safe and clean water continues to flow for the community. The project is initially being implemented in Kono district in the East of Sierra Leone and will hopefully expand to other districts in the coming years.