German Investor To Install 19- Solar-Powered Water Kiosks & Employ Youth In Kenya By End Of 2019

By  |  February 11, 2019

It is finally a sigh of relief for Kenyan towns that grapple with water shortage after a German solar company; Boreal Light GmbH announced a roll out to construct water desalination and purification plants.

The company which has already installed a plant on Pate Island in Lamu and Kitengela intends to construct 19 water desalination and purification plants across Kenya by the end of 2019.

According to a report by energysiren.co.ke, the company is currently eyeing to construct the water kiosks in other regions. The water kiosks which will be powered by solar panels suits best dry areas covered with salty water as well as towns that tussle with polluted water.

The company founder and CEO Hamed Beheshti disclosed that some of the regions that have identified for installation of the project are Turkana, Wajir, Kwale, Naivasha and Mombasa.

Apart from providing clean drinking water, the project will employ Kenyan youth who have had challenges finding employment. The initiative will also provide purified water to households for 0.100 USD per 20-litre container.

The company recently unveiled a desalination plant on Pate Island in Lamu. The project will provide water for drip irrigation in the region as well as serve a nearby institution; Pate Boarding School

The newly launched Lamu project produces 2,500 litres of water per hour. The extremely salty water is directed to toilets to wipe out stench and kill bacteria.

“Pate Island and the whole of Lamu County is suffering from salt leakage in their boreholes along with bacterial contamination. This water salinity has affected not only households and businesses but also farmers,” said Dr Beheshti. He added that he is positive that the clean, fresh water project will help solve such problems.

Boreal Light GmbH designs and develops solar seawater filtration systems for remote parts of the world. The company provides 2in1 solutions that provide both reliable electricity as well as potable water.

The move by the German company to provide water solutions to the country comes at a time when Kenyan cities are grappling with water pollution.

Nairobi rivers namely Ngong, Nairobi, Kirichwa and Mbagathi continue to get darker and murkier day-in-day-out. This is as a result of the raw sledge, garage spillage and debris being carelessly disposed of hence finding its way into the flowing waters.

The polluted water has over time had adverse effects on Nairobi residents living by the rivers with some of them of them succumbing after contacting water-borne diseases.

 

The development was first published by Energysiren.

Featured Image Courtesy: Eawag

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