Gambiaj.com – (KIANG NEMA, The Gambia) – Residents of Nema Village in Jiroff Ward, Kiang Central District, are celebrating renewed access to safe drinking water following the commissioning of a 4,000-liter community borehole by the Mansakonko Area Council (MKAC) in partnership with the Awaied Alkair Foundation The Gambia.
The newly installed borehole, described as a state-of-the-art facility, is expected to ease decades of water scarcity affecting hundreds of villagers, providing a reliable source of potable water and improving living conditions in the community.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, MKAC Administrative Director Lamin Touray hailed the initiative as both timely and transformative, emphasizing the critical importance of water to human survival and well-being.
“Without it, human life grinds to a halt. This borehole restores dignity and health to Nema,” he said, while commending the foundation for its intervention.
President of the Awaied Alkair Foundation The Gambia, Abdoulie Darboe, described the partnership with the council as strong and impact-driven, noting that the project was informed by careful assessments of community needs.
He indicated that the foundation plans to expand similar collaborations to other underserved communities across the country.
Sustainability and community ownership featured prominently during the event. MKAC Vice Chairman Almamo A.K. Ceesay urged residents to establish a Water Committee to manage and maintain the facility, citing the Local Government Act of 2002, which mandates councils to support local development.
“This isn’t a handout; it’s a legacy,” Ceesay said. “Form a Water Committee now to safeguard it for generations.”
Jiroff Ward Councilor Musa Fadera echoed the call, assigning the Village Development Committee responsibility for overseeing the borehole. He also pointed to neighbouring villages still facing acute water shortages and called for similar interventions to be extended to those communities.
For residents, the borehole represents a long-awaited solution. Local elder Fatou Jallow said the facility would spare villagers from long journeys in search of unsafe water sources.
“This ends our daily treks for murky streams,” she said, expressing the relief shared by many.
Community leaders believe the borehole will bring broader benefits, including improved sanitation, reduced incidence of waterborne diseases, and increased productivity, particularly for women and children who previously spent hours fetching water.
The project highlights the growing role of public-private partnerships in addressing rural water challenges as The Gambia continues to confront the effects of climate change, population growth, and pressure on existing water resources. Officials say such initiatives offer scalable solutions to improve livelihoods in vulnerable communities.
