On today's World Water Day, we would like to give you a small insight into the major challenges that the water supply poses for St. Walburg’s Hospital in Tanzania. Good water in sufficient quantities is essential for the hospital. It plays a crucial role in hygiene, from washing hands to sterilizing medical equipment and cleaning rooms, not to mention the huge demand of the washing machines. At the same time, water is essential for supplying the numerous relatives for cooking, for sanitary facilities and for the garden, which supports a healthy diet for the patients.

The hospital is currently supplied from two different sources:

1. Village water from Nyangao - This water is of such poor quality that the bacterial load exceeds the measurement limits, as investigations by Michael Deininger have shown. At 80 cents per cubic meter, it is also very expensive for the hospital.
2. Own wells - The hospital has two of its own wells, but their water can hardly be used for sterilization due to its high mineral content (we reported). The salt content would cause the medical instruments to rust, meaning that only the expensive village water can be used for this purpose. For comparison: German hospitals not only use distilled water, but even demineralized water, which contains even fewer minerals.

Another problem is the structural condition of hospital wells. The pumps used there are affected more quickly and often only have an operating time of six months instead of several years, which causes unnecessary additional costs. The existing wells therefore urgently need to be over-drilled or a new well drilled.

Auch im Hinblick auf den Masterplan für den Um- und Neubau des Krankenhauses ist die Verbesserung der Wasserinfrastruktur ein entscheidender Faktor für den langfristigen Erfolg. Für dieses Jahr sind noch wichtige Maßnahmen geplant, wie die Installation von Wasserzählern, um den Wasserverbrauch besser erfassen und steuern zu können. Umkehrosmose- und Ultrafiltrationsanlagen müssen angeschafft, sowie Über- oder Neubohrung der Brunnen in Angriff genommen werden. Ein Projekt mit hohem finanziellem Aufwand und ebenso hoher Dringlichkeit.

In Michael Deininger, the Artemed Stiftung has a partner with extensive expertise at its side who, with his voluntary commitment, is making a significant contribution to ensuring an efficient and sustainable water supply for the hospital and will be working on site again this year. Thank you very much!