The people of Mtwapa town in Lamu county, Kenya are set to benefit from a solar-powered water treatment and desalination plant installed by Mtwapa Catholic parish to provide clean and affordable freshwater. The plant will help the coastal to deal with perennial water shortages. The solar-powered desalination unit is expected to turn borehole saltwater into fresh drinkable water
The project is a joint venture between the Catholic Church, Boreal Light, a German based company specialized in renewable energy and Water Kiosk. The launch of the water desalination project was graced by the Archbishop of Catholic Archdiocese of Mombasa Bishop Martin Kivuva, Boreal Light Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Hamed Beheshti and Water Kiosk Ltd co-founder and Director Samuel Kinyanjui.
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Providing potable drinking water at affordable rates
According to Archbishop Kivuva the highly-cost effective plant will be providing potable drinking water at affordable rates to the communities living around the parish. “The water kiosk in Mtwapa will be the first of a series of kiosks to be installed by the church across the coastal counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Taita Taveta to help bring affordable, hygienic water to the communities in the region,” he said.
He further added that the importance of water, sanitation and hygiene cannot be overemphasized in the wake of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. “The provision of safe water, sanitation and hygienic conditions is essential for preventing and protecting human health during this pandemic period,” said the cleric.
Mr. Hamed Beheshti said that the water desalination system is durable, scalable, and affordable. “The systems can be used with both brackish and seawater sources and is run entirely on solar-powered energy which is abundant in Africa,” he added.
