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Southern Madagascar Well Rehabilitation and Drilling Programs
Madagascar is a large country, an island measuring about 1000 miles long and 300 miles wide. Geographically, it is dominated by a large central plateau, which has an average elevation of 4000 feet, and coastal lowlands. Madagascar is about 20 degrees south of the equator and is no more tropical than my home on the US Gulf Coast. Most of the country receives adequate rain, although it tends to be more seasonal. Southern Madagascar, however, has low rainfall in the best years and much less in the decades-long drought that now dominates the region.
A Water Crisis in the South
Some organizations consider southern Madagascar to be a disaster area. In many areas, access to water is completely lacking. This in turn affects agriculture and results in very widespread malnutrition, some of it progressing to visible starvation. By most accounts, the situation is dire. The report available with the button below describes our observations and assessment made during a trip in 2020.
Pangalana Channel Shallow Well Program
The Madagascar Water Project (MWP) began drilling water wells along the East coast of Madagascar in 2015. The MWP serves small, rural villages lacking any infrastructure and most services such as schools and medical facilities. Most of the East Coast villages are accessible only by the Pangalana Channel, a freshwater intracoastal waterway that also serves as their only source of water. Water-borne diseases are common, including dysentery, diarrhea, and schistosomiasis, aka Bilharzia, which is carried by snails.
Creating Water Security
The MWP has drilled 157 shallow wells (less than 23 feet) that provide water to about 80,000 people. Sustainability is ensured by encouraging local participation through the formation of well-managed committees and training local technicians to perform routine maintenance and repairs. With the continued support of the MWP, periodic visits include maintenance and repairs when needed. Out of the 157 wells, 122 are still producing, and most are self-sustaining.
Marolambo Municipal Rehabilitation Project
The Madagascar Water Project rebuilt the Marolambo Municipal Water System in October 2023. The entire system had deteriorated over the decades, diminishing its ability to provide safe water to the community of 7800 people. Water was sourced from a surface stream 3 km outside the village, but multiple water analyses indicated it had significant levels of E. coli and was not suitable to drink without chlorination. Logistics, road access to Marolambo, was a significant challenge and was the likely reason the village has been passed over by every other water project done in the region.
Upstream, the MWP rebuilt the dam and filtration system. Two 45k liter holding tanks were refurbished, and a chlorination system was added. The distribution system was completely rebuilt. It included 7000 meters of pipeline, 20 double spigot water kiosks for public use, and 10 water stands located in churches, schools, clinics, and government facilities. The total project cost was MGA 300M ($70k USD), required about 5 man-years of work, and took 45 days to complete.
At the conclusion of construction, the MWP hired two technicians to provide daily on-site chlorination, weekly water testing, and provide maintenance & repairs to the dam and the water filtration and distribution systems. Their work will ensure the long-term sustainability of the water system.
Several relevant reports can be accessed through the attached links.
Ampitakihosy
Ampitakihosy is our first integrated mini-municipal water development project. A village of 2000, it had only one open bucket well with a hand pump to provide “clean water." The rest came from rice fields in the adjacent lowlands. The MWP drilled one well in the village and found only a minimal aquifer. The second well found an 8-meter-deep, high-quality fresh water aquifer, which tested at more than 3k liters/hour – capable of providing water to the entire village.
Ambohangimasina
Ambohangimasina
Miakara
Ambohangimasina
Ampasimbe
Ampasimbe
Drilling Program
We have an aggressive drilling program in the Mahanoro area. It is a combination of individual water wells in smaller villages and potential source wells in larger villages if a water distribution system is justifiable and supported financially.
Up to 13 new wells will be drilled in the next 6 – 8 weeks, all completed with hand pumps. As the aerial photo to the right shows, there is no shortage of villages in need.
Ampatikosy
The Madagascar Water Project drilled two wells in Ampiatikosy in March 2024. One well was a relatively low producer, and the other produced 3k liters per hour from a high-quality aquifer. The only other well in the village of 2000 was a shallow bucket well.
Connecting Communities to Water
Due to the high geologic risk for additional wells, the MWP designed a mini municipal water system with 8 water stands, using the high-rate well as a source. It will require 2500 meters of pipeline and a large containment tank.
Estimated incremental costs for the water distribution system are $10k, and it will take approximately one month to build. The plan is shown in the photo.