- The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the critical role hygiene and water play in people’s lives and the safe operation in the health sector.
- Therefore, in celebration of world water day, WaterKiosk in partnership with DEG and Boreal Light GmbH officially opened the first round of the largest solar water desalination project in Africa on 17 March 2021.
The project is supported via the develoPPP.de programme, which DEG implements on behalf of the German ministry for economic cooperation and developments (BMZ).
These solar water desalination systems aim to mitigate the impact of the pandemic by supplying over one million litres of safe drinking water daily in 23 key hospitals and clinics across Kenya
Dr Hamed Beheshti, CEO of Boreal Light, said: “The plants operate solely on solar energy, desalinate direct seawater into hygiene drinking water, require no chemicals for their treatment process, and sterilise wastewater coming out of COVID-19 departments prior to disposal.”
Sicily Kariuki, EGH, and Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation in Kenya, commented: “My Ministry welcomes this positive and innovative move by our Development Partners and the Private Sector players.”
In addition, the 23 solar water desalination projects, together, offset over 18,000 ton of CO2 emission per year, being a great role model of climate mitigation practices in Africa, added Dr Beheshti.
Dr Esther Mungai, Kenyan Ambassador to Germany, also commented: “This project is one of its kind and is great support from the German Government to Kenya. The project is well-aligned with the Kenyan universal healthcare agenda.”
Author: Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl
This article was originally published on ESI Africa and is republished with permission with minor editorial changes.
