In the region of Mahajanga, in Madagascar, a river downhill from the Special Reserve of Marotandrano serves several villages, an overall population of about 12,000.
But the water is not treated today: it carries waterborne diseases which spoil the health conditions of the villagers. In this very poor region, the rate of infant mortality, for example, is very high.

The NGO Hydraulique Sans Frontières (HSF) decided to work to remedy the situation by responding to the application of a village committee formed in 2005 and sent on by the local Catholic mission. It is therefore launching a vast project to treat and transport pure water to the various village communities.

Reinforcing the village committee for water management

Drawn from the river bed, the water will be treated by slow filtration through sand.
34 km of pipes will then transport it by gravity to the 47 standpipes built in the villages.

The actual project will last seven months, but HSF's involvement will extend beyond: technicians will be trained among the local population to maintain the network and to guarantee its permanence. The water management committee formed by the villagers in 2005 will also be reinforced: it will be entrusted with the tasks of technical, financial and social management of the installations.

Once this first water supply project is completed, it will be followed by a wastewater treatment project.