Sambacounda Well
Free access to drinking water
Village of Sambacounda, Senegal
Free access to drinking water
Village of Sambacounda, Senegal
In Sambacounda, a village in southern Senegal, access to drinking water was scarce and often contaminated by salts and bacteria, putting children, the elderly, and pregnant women at risk. Traditional wells were shallow and insufficient, forcing people to travel long distances to find safe water.
The well built by Balouo Salo reaches a depth of 18 meters, is equipped with a solar-powered submersible pump, and an advanced filtration system using osmosis and UV treatment. Today, about 800 people from Sambacounda and neighboring villages have free access to purified, safe water all year round, with a direct impact on the health and hygiene of the community.
Ensure safe, clean, and available water every day for 800 people, in one of Senegal’s poorest and most vulnerable areas, where only 2% of the rural population has access to potable sources.
Cut by up to 70% cases of diarrhea, cholera, and deadly infections caused by contaminated water, protecting children, pregnant women, and the elderly—the most vulnerable to the injustice of unsafe water.
Provide an accessible, safe, and sheltered infrastructure to free women from hours of daily hardship fetching water and give back time for life, school, and caring for children.
Act on prevention with sustainable solutions: filtration, sterilization, and continuous monitoring, respecting WHO standards, to protect today and guarantee tomorrow.
Sambacounda and neighboring villages lacked safe water sources: shallow wells were insufficient and water was often contaminated with salts and bacteria. To address this emergency, Balouo Salo built an 18-meter deep well, equipped with a solar-powered submersible pump and osmosis and UV filtration systems, ensuring purified water.
The project actively involved the community, forming a local committee for management and maintenance, raising awareness about proper water resource management, and ensuring sustainability of the intervention. 800 people draw water directly from the well, while others from surrounding villages benefit indirectly from its availability. Since its completion in 2016, the facility has been fully managed by the community itself.
The heart of the project is the 18-meter well, protected by reinforced concrete cylinders. The 24V submersible pump is powered by 250W solar panels and batteries to ensure continuous operation. The extracted water passes through pre-filters, UV sterilization, and osmosis filtration, eliminating 98% of bacteria and viruses such as cholera, giardia, and staphylococcus.
A community space
The area around the well is designed to welcome the community: shaded zones, a technical room for filters and solar systems, multiple water access points, and a meeting space for collective activities, integrating functionality and cultural value. Since its completion in 2016, the project has been fully managed by the community.
