Water Level Tapes Donated to Sierra Leone to Help Protect Groundwater Sources Adjacent to Ebola Care Facilities

In-Situ Inc (USA) has donated 11 groundwater level dip tapes to The Ministry of Water Resources in Sierra Leone.

Sierra Leone is in the grip of the worst Ebola outbreak in history and the dip tapes are being used to monitor groundwater levels at wells and boreholes adjacent to Ebola Care Facilities. The tapes will then be deployed to local councils to help establish an initial national groundwater-monitoring network.

The Ministry of Water Resources Water Security program will help protect water sources from wastes arising at Ebola treatment facilities. It will also continue to monitor groundwater levels so groundwater recharge can be better understood. In-Situ was proud to donate the dip meters for this important work.

“The donation of water level tapes is already making a difference. The Ministry of Water Resources can now train and equip more technical personnel to assist with ongoing assessments of water supplies at Ebola care facilities. This increased capacity to monitor levels is particularly important and is timely to help us assess water supplies during the use and gradual decommissioning of Ebola care facilities,” said Head of the Water Resources Mohamed Sahr E Juanah.

Water Quality Analyst Ishmail Kamara said, “We absolutely recognise the importance of measuring (monitoring) our water resources so we can make informed decisions and undertake appropriate follow-up action. This impressive donation will not only help to provide better information, the equipment supplied is ideal because it matches the skills and capacities in [the] country. It is a great example of the right technology choice.”

In-Situ equipment, including dip meters and Rugged Troll 100 water level loggers, has been supplied to the Ministry of Water Resources since 2012. It is part of a range of vital monitoring equipment that is helping Sierra Leone re-establish hydrometeorological monitoring networks, which were destroyed during a 10 year civil war that ended in 2001. The logging equipment has allowed the Ministry to maintain monitoring throughout the Ebola Emergency (Figure 2) when the movement of staff around the country has necessarily been restricted, and is proving invaluable in building a long-term high resolution record which will help the country with information to manage water resources into the future.