One water well located at Cerdes Health Center is ready for the installation of the Lorentz SmartTap. The water well is functioning and operating (with water sales) six days a week. The person who is selling water takes Sundays off. From a personal perspective, taking a day off once a week, that practice sounds reasonable. But from the business perspective, the customers need water every day. They need water for cooking, drinking, and hygiene every day. The women and girls are forced to access a different water source in the community once a week. And you can probably assume that is not a convenient water source. The SmartTap will be available seven days a week.
The other water well located at the Kamilabi I Health Center is NOT ready for the installation of the SmartTap. The water well needs a hopefully minor repair to the drop-down pipe, that is, the pipe that brings the water from the water pump to the surface. I could hear the water running in the borehole. And the water well control system indicates the pump is operating. Therefore, in theory, it should be an easy job to replace a bursted pipe or an even easier job to reconnect a disconnected pipe to its adjoining pipe.
Since this water well is currently not functional and delivering water to the community, I propose that we install the Lorentz SmartTap at this location first. I think there would be less resistance or procedures to change. The new SmartTap procedures could be instituted as the new normal procedures when the water pump is reinstalled and starts to produce water for distribution. We can get to see the new SmartTap procedures in use with a smaller and less demanding group of women. We will be able to see acceptance or rejection more readily because women will view the SmartTap dispenser as a new way of getting water versus a change in the way of getting water. Also, the new Water Seller can be recruited and trained on the new procedures versus trying to train the current Water Seller concurrently with ongoing operations.
The business advantages of the SmartTap dispenser will be a game changer. The amount of water being consumed in the community will be known. Also, the amount of water needed for daily consumption by a family will be known. No More Guessing or Estimating! Planning for the community water needs will be forecasted. And community water needs can be addressed based upon factual data.
Finally, funds can be identified and saved to improve the community water needs. Also, funds for maintenance and upgrades can be programmed and planned. For example, the water well at Kamilabi I Health Center has been functional for months due to lack of funds to make necessary repairs to the water system. The SmartTap Management System can identify and place the management of each water well system at the appropriate level. Traditionally, the WASH (Water Sanitation and Hygiene) community has advocated that water management be established at the lowest and closest level to the point of use.
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