By Vincent Gunde
Self Help Africa (SHA) in partnership with CO2 balance, has developed an innovative sustainable community safe water project generated from carbon financing-Water Carbon project in the two districts of Kasungu and Dowa.
The Carbon Finance project begun with 41 boreholes in 2013 to generate, market and sell carbon credits from its borehole programme has grown to 762 in Dowa and Kasungu by October, 2024 and is still expanding in all T/As of Dowa and Kasungu (T/As Santhe, Sub T/A Chaima, Nyaza and T/A Kawamba.
Carbon Finance project is a climate smart innovative way of financing, people get paid for reducing carbon emissions through provision of safe water implemented with a rationale of providing safe water access to communities.
Self Help Africa’s Carbon Finance Project Officer for Dowa Uchizi Chirambo, said despite efforts to provide safe water, keeping the water flowing remains key sustainability challenge saying 30-40 percent of water points do not function resulting in risk contacting diarrheal disease.
Chirambo said by providing water access to communities, Self Help Africa is eliminating the need to boil water for safe consumption thereby reducing water-related carbon emissions and by earning carbon credits through reduction of emission, SHA funds are creating a self-sustaining maintenance program.
She said the project will be implemented with objectives of reducing carbon emissions through drilling and repairing non-functioning boreholes and providing sustainable access to ensuring safe drinking water while benefitting the global environment.
The officer said carbon finance is a new form of environmental finance, one is paid based on what he/she achieve, measured in tonnes of CO2, one tonne is equal to one credit, saying credits are sold to individuals, business, and governments wanting to offset their emissions.
“The project will reduce diarrheal diseases and morbidity associated with consumption of unsafe water and sustainable development co-benefit, important in the voluntary market e.g lives improved, income generated,” said Chirambo.
On key achievements, Chirambo said the project has contributing to Water Point functionality, offering capacity building to Water Point Committees on community and water management and treatment through Community Based Management (CBM) refresher training and water management talks.
In his remarks, Self Help Africa’s Deputy Country Director for Programs, Smorden Tomoka, said through carbon, the organization is able to achieve 95 percent functionality for all registered water points to ensuring that communities have sustainable access to safe water.
Self Help Africa will implement Carbon Finance project in Kasungu and Dowa with a total budget amounting to 613,118.85 Euros.
