U.S Avails Safe Drinking Water to More Than 2,000 People in Afar

Addis Ababa  October 2 /2019 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with DuPont Water Solutions and the Afar Regional State, has made available safe drinking water system to the community in Serdo.

U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael A. Raynor and Afar Regional State President Awol Arba jointly inaugurated the water system, which will provide the first-ever sustainable source of safe drinking water for more than 2,000 people in the area.

USAID’s Lowland Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Activity, in collaboration with DuPont Water Solutions and the Afar Water and Irrigation Resource Development Bureau, installed a reverse osmosis water system featuring a standalone cooling tower — the first of its kind in Afar, according to a press release of the US Embassy in Ethiopia.

The facility is designed to safely treat salinity, filter out impurities and harmful bacteria, and reduce the high temperature of the local groundwater making it safe to drink, the release stated.

“These efforts are just one part of the United States’ much larger investment in providing Ethiopians throughout their country with greater opportunities to prosper in life, including our major programs to support health, education, and livelihoods,” U.S. Ambassador Raynor said.

The USAID Lowland WASH Activity has reportedly built 25 community-water supply systems and rehabilitated an additional 91 water systems over the past several years, providing access for safe drinking-water for more than 200,000 Ethiopians in areas of the country where water is scarce.

Under a unique partnership, DuPont provided funding for supplies and installation of the reverse osmosis and water-cooling equipment for the Serdo facility, and will promote the use of similar innovations in other parts of Ethiopia.