Improving access to drinking water

Project to improve access to drinking water in Koungoulou Ngoe village in Biwong-Bulu commune, Mvila department, in the South region of Cameroon
It is very difficult for villagers to access drinking water in the village; they mainly draw water from one of its four springs. These springs have low yields and are difficult to access, and the water they provide is unsafe. There are six wells fitted with hand pumps, but they are spread unevenly across the area and only one of them is in working order. A stream flows from one end of the village to the other, and is used mainly for cleaning and clothes washing. Outbreaks of water-borne diseases are recurrent, and the population's water needs are not covered by the current water points. 
The technical solution that has been proposed to overcome the problem of access to drinking water in the village consists in building a gravity-flow drinking water supply system serving the entire population via community water pillars, with private connections for major consumers. This solution offers a means of distributing treated drinking water while maintaining sufficient reserves to compensate for power failures and peaks in demand. Distributing good-quality treated drinking water significantly reduces water-borne diseases, improves school success rates and bolsters the development of income-generating activities. 
The ideal way to guarantee year-round production of good-quality water is to build a groundwater tapping structure. A location for such a structure has already been identified in the centre of the village. However, a pumping station is required to safeguard it and protect its equipment (switch box, valve, meter, etc.). The station could be electrified via the national power grid (a project to electrify the village is currently underway).