Borealis’ corporate charity Water for the World helps bring drinking water to a Nairobi shanty town.
Borouge has seen the completion of a two-year project to bring safe drinking water to 50,000 residents of the Korogocho and Kahawa townships in Nairobi, Kenya.
The initiative was co-funded by OFID (the OPEC Fund for International Development), the British Government’s Department for International Development, and Borealis and Borouge through their joint corporate social responsibility programme ‘Water for the World.’ Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP), a partnership between Unilever, Borealis, Thames Water and WaterAid, based in London, was responsible for implementation and project management.
60 per cent of Nairobians live in townships, with little access to clean piped water.
The Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company has the legal responsibility for providing sanitation, but fails to manage water supplies dues to the haphazard construction of townships and urban migration to Nairobi outstripping water supplies.
Residents without access to piped supplies buy water from private street vendors, at much higher prices.
Water dispenser in use: providing safe and affordable drinking water to people in Nairobi WSUP’s initiative extended the existing water network into the settlements, using high-quality polyethylene (PE) pipes.
“To avoid the loss of water due to leakages and assure residents receive clean water that they can afford, PE pipes are an excellent solution because they last three times longer than existing pipes, suffer fewer breakages and need less maintenance.
“In line with our sustainability goals, we commit to addressing global challenges and adding value to people’s lives through sustainable plastics solutions.” Craig Halgreen, Vice President Corporate Sustainability at Borouge, said: “At Borouge, we have experience in developing sustainable water systems for all kinds of environments and we are delighted to have supported this initiative based on our high-quality polyethylene materials.” Bill Peacock, WSUP’s Director of Programmes, said: “WSUP works with local providers to help them deliver the water and sanitation services and infrastructure that are so desperately needed by low-income urban communities.
“This project is a great example of how multi-sector partners can join forces and contribute their expertise to make a real difference to people’s lives.”