Water and Health in Limpopo: Designing a sustainable filtration and distribution system

This report describes the design of a sustainable water supply and sanitation system in the villages of Tshapasha and Tshibvumo in Limpopo province South Africa. We begin by briefly describing the work done by previous Water and Health in Limpopo (WHIL) teams. The report provides details of the current process of monitoring and troubleshooting of the supply system built by previous teams in Tshapasha in the summer of 2010 as well as the design and planning of a new water supply system in Tshibvumo. The status of the Tshapasha system is discussed as well as a plan to ensure the system is running adequately by the end of July 2011. The report then describes analyses of the alternatives considered in both the river selection and filtration method for the future system in Tshibvumo. Details are provided for the final plan for supplying water to the village taking into account elevation, materials cost, and the demand for water. In addition, drawings and specifications for sanitizing the water using a slow sand filter are provided, detailing flow rates for the filter as well as material specifications. Finally, a tentative work plan is introduced for the team to follow during its June-August 2011 visit to Limpopo.