Report on Research Work and Travel in Mbarara, Uganda

July – September 2005

Roofwater harvesting is an important water source in many parts of the world, and is in some cases
the only way to get water of reasonable quality and quality.

Examples of roofwater harvesting systems in Kikigate, Uganda

Slow sand filtration is a historically well known method for improving the quality of water. This
project joined the two concepts by evaluating the performance and practicality of incorporating an
exceptionally shallow slow sand filter in rainwater tanks.

My 3rd Year Engineering Project (which ended in June 2005) studied the theory of in-tank slow
filtration and involved laboratory testing under conditions representing the proposed situation.
Results were excellent and so field testing was completed this summer to extend the work and
establish how the technique may be used in a real rainwater tank in a developing country.

Laboratory testing rig

Utilising the travel scholarship, I travelled to Uganda, and stayed at Kyera Farm (a previous contact
of my tutor, Terry Thomas) where several designs of rainwater tank are currently in use. The plan
was to construct two or more different designs of filter in tanks and then test the quality of the water
in the tank, and drawn from the tank. I would try to model typical usage patterns, and use the same
bacteria counting tests I used in my third year project.

Luckily there was an unused 1500 litre tank at Kyera, which was ideal for my testing as it was dry,
and thus suitable for me to climb in and build a filter that would cover the entire floor of the tank. It
also meant I could put very dirty water in and if results proved not to be of adequate quality, I
would not be ruining someone’s water supply.

Myself, constructing my first filter

There were some practical difficulties building the initial filter – for example connecting a drainage
hose to a fully rusted outlet pipe in the base of the tank, but these were overcome and I had a fully
functional tank floor filter by the middle of my time in Uganda. It was also very fortunate that I met
some Canadians working with an NGO called CAWST (Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation
Technology, based in Calgary) that produce small domestic bio-sand filters. I learned a few little
tips that are crucial to the successful construction of sand filters. Namely the importance of
washing the sand before use to remove dust that may otherwise clog the filter, and the insertion of a
diffuser plate on the surface of the top sand layer to prevent the inflow of water disturbing the active
biological skin which forms in the top centimetre or so of this sand.

The Canadians were also working on a massive community catchment project, building a huge 1.4
million litre, rain-fed, in-ground storage tank that will supply the local community with their water.
This was a fascinating insight into working directly with the community, and the catchment was
awe inspiring – it was all dug out by hand, using only the most basic tools.
The community catchment in Kikigate, and a small biosand filter in use

I also did some work on a smaller unit that could be retro-fitted into a tank that already has water in.
After much trial and error, I eventually had a filter constructed in a plastic bucket that was floated in
my test tank, and managed to get some results from it before time ran out.

Using material from my third year project write up, as well as my field experiences, I wrote a
research paper and have had it accepted by the International Rainwater Catchment Systems
Association for their 12th biannual conference in Delhi in November. Terry Thomas and myself
will present it there and introduce and discuss the notion with the leaders in the field.

Overall I have increased my depth of knowledge in this field and of the world in general. Travel is
always a horizon widening and perspective deepening experience if you go with open eyes and an
open mind. Having never been to Africa before, it was great to challenge the preconceptions widely
held of such a massive continent being made up solely of parched earth, pot-bellied children with
flies in their eyes, and the safari plains. Instead I discovered a fascinating country with flourishing
vegetation and friendly people.

Teaching one of the workers at Kyera the finer points of solitaire ( using bottle tops and pebbles).

I also realised that Uganda is just a tiny part of Africa, and there is so much more I now want to
visit! It was so good to be immersed in the culture during my work, as it gives a very realistic
picture of what is and is not possible, not only with regard to material availability and construction,
but also with what people will accept as a technique or technology.

I learnt much of the realities of research work – the frustration of trying to get things done to
schedule, the disappointment when things don’t turn out as you hope, and the relief when things
work successfully.

Water going in (left) and having passed through the filter (right) – with a depth of only 10cm of sand in total.

Our research paper was another learning curve, and I am pleased to have submitted it and am very
excited (and nervous) about presenting it in Delhi.

Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to take another step in my budding career in
engineering and development. It was such a useful experience, and I am very grateful that I
received the chance to complete the project – it would have been very difficult for me to do so
without your kind financial assistance. I hope to go on and continue my work and growth in this
field. I am lucky enough that my 4th Year group project is designing the cooling systems for a
factory in Cambodia – wonderful!

I wish you all the best for the coming year,

Yours,

Celia Way