créateur d’eau potable
Aclaira adventure began on June 6th, 2007 when Discalced Carmelite Brother Luc-Marie, Professor Courfia Diawara and Michel Farcy met for the first time. All three attended “Water and Health” Symposium organized by UNESCO SIMEV chair.
Borehole water in Kaolack region contained too much fluoride
For Brother Luc-Marie, it was the right forum to cry for help: borehole water, containing too much fluoride in Kaolack region, caused fluorisis, crippling disease for the local community. He made the case for a “filtration” project. The challenge was significant with more than 800 boreholes affected. Senegal faced an almost impossible task, as people have a crucial need for water. It was not only a matter of financing but also of finding the right resources for installation, maintenance and monitoring.
Courfia Diawara from Cheikh Anta Diop University and Michel Farcy took up Brother Luc-Marie’s challenge. It was the starting point of a 5 year development – between 2007 and 2012 – aiming to adapt the right membrane solution to local conditions. This included lab scale nanofiltration experiments, pilot design and manufacturing, extensive on-site testing that resulted in installation of two permanent membrane units at Ndiafatte in April 2012.
Perfect drinking water for more than 6 years
The units have run for more than six years now. Water operators run them and a Senegalese technician team maintains them. The units supply perfect quality water to the 2000 inhabitants from 7 surrounding villages.
This project has catalyzed Aclaira’s vocation. It reminds us every day that membrane technologies associated with the right local structure can provide quality drinking water reliably.
