A water borehole was inaugurated on Thursday, August 22, 2019 in Sangarebougou, a Malian municipality located in the territory of the Kati circle, in the Koulikoro region. The work was carried out by the National Tobacco and Matches Company of Mali (Sonatam). The borehole, which cost about €32,000, is one of twelve already drilled in the country by the company.
Water will be more accessible in Sangarebougou, a municipality in Mali located in the Koulikoro region, on the border with Mauritania and Guinea. On site, a borehole was inaugurated on August 22, 2019, in the presence of the Minister of Energy and Water, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Tobacco and Match Company of Mali (Sonatam), the Mayor of the town and the administrative authorities. The structure, entirely financed by Sonatam, consists of a water tower with a water capacity of 20,000 litres and a high-voltage solar pumping system with a production capacity of 17 m3 per hour.
The system will provide water to the 45,000 villagers in the area, who did not hide their satisfaction when they received this building. The mayor of Sangarébougou commune, Kassim Sidibé, did not hesitate to make the link between this water point and the health of the population. “By providing us with access to safe drinking water, you ensure the health of our population,” he said. The total cost of the project is estimated at 21 million CFA francs, approximately 32,000 euros. Over the past five years, Sonatam has financed the construction of 12 boreholes in Mali, investing CFAF 156 million, just over €238,000.
Water to appease disputes
For some time in Sangarébougou, the quest for water had been a source of quarrels in households, as women took a long time to collect water because of long queues that sometimes did not settle until very late into the night. This is what prompted the mayor of the community, quoted by the local press, to acknowledge that “thanks to this 17 m3 of water drilling carried out by Sonatam, the women will return to their husbands.” For the management of this building, a monitoring committee composed exclusively of women will be set up. At the same time, an account will be opened in a bank to keep the funds generated by the drilling operation.
According to data published in 2018 by the Ministry of Energy and Water in Mali, 65.3% of the population living in rural areas have access to drinking water, compared to 74.7 in urban areas.
Luchelle Feukeng
