Providing Permanent Water Supplies 
Access to water for animals, and for safe, clean water for humans is a permanent problem. The Lower Shire River area is in the Great Rift Valley around 200 feet above sea level. The whole area is crossed with tributaries of this mighty river but they are dry most of the year.
If we can create permanent water supplies for animals, improve water supplies for people and build better access into the reserve, we can:
- save animals
- tackle fires much faster and prevent loss of the ancient trees
- reduce animal and wood poaching
- save the women and children from long walks for water
- prevent disease from unclean water.
Almost every dry season the water inside the reserve dries up and animals die or they leave Mwabvi WR to find water and food amongst the village crops . We have Buffalo, Kudu, Nyala and Sable – all magnificent animals – but outside of the reserve area they cause destruction and in turn are injured or killed by villagers . So, we need to build permanent water holes inside the reserve, linked to boreholes we have drilled by pumps and pipes.
Animals - Migudu
We have already cleared and dug the site for the first one near the campsite at Migudu where we have built a small dam using the natural rock formation. Making this watertight is proving challenging but we now have water there and have landscaped the area. And the viewing platform on top of the new campsite reception is already popular with visitors to the reserve. The target was £5,000 to cover the cost of the dam construction and pipes from the existing borehole. We achieved the build for slightly less than this, and are now looking to fund the strengthening costs which are mainly concrete - £500 will do it. and also help create a new hide separate from the viewing platform.
Animals and People – Mwabvi
Towards the end of 2010 we replaced the hand pump at the borehole at Mwabvi Camp in the heart of the reserve, close to the Mwabvi Gorge. It was put in originally for game scouts on patrol and for visitors. It now has an electric pump worked by a diesel generator. We are using this and a gravity fed pipe to pump water into the new Njati Lodge around 500 metres away closer to the Gorge. With this, we can provide permanent water to the animals and to visitors alike. The money for the pump came from our friends at Guinness NCHA in the UK, who ran a virtual Tour de France to raise money.
All of the materials for the work came in by Land Rover over the 30 km track from the reserve entrance. The building team came by foot mostly from Kanyimbi village around 6 km away, walking over the gorge trail both ways each day.
We have a much older working hand pump about 100 metres from the electric pump. It is well hidden but still working to provide water for folk on the Gorge trail.
Solar power for water pumping
The work above forms part of our new plan to construct an animal sanctuary on the reserve boundary near the Mwabvi Gorge. You will find details of this in another project briefing . We have now completed the installation of the solar powered pump at a new borehole drilled in September 2009 and we don’t have to travel there each day and set up the generator, saving people’s time, fuel for the Land Rover and saving the generator for other work. The cost of the borehole and solar 'system' was £6500.
People at Chipembere
Solar is new to this part of the world so we need to learn what’s best at Mwabvi. We are planning the next phase of solar power for Chipembere Camp where we need both water pumping and electricity for power and light.
If you would like to help fundraise for the solar system, get in touch with us.
PAW: Promoting environmental conservation and development in Malawi.
