In a bid to compensate for acute water shortage that the city of Dakar in Senegal has experienced over the past month due to a burst pipe, a new app has been rolled out serving as a relief to homes experiencing water shortage.
Despite the government’s attempt to fix the issue, the vast majority of homes in the Senegalese capital have been surviving on reserves that have lead to a number of innovative ideas to come up, such as that of 3W, a communications and social media agency that has drawn at least 300 subscribers to its new app accessible via on Facebook.
The new app christened sEAUlidaire, is now serving as one of the solutions to the water shortage crisis shortage in the capital of Senegal which is unusual, as the country itself, has been known to have ample water supply catering for some three quarters of the population over the years.
Ideally, reports show that by 2004, the country had access to an improved water source compared to an average of 56 per cent of the Sub Saharan African population. While concerning water supply, there has been a huge gap between urban areas in which 92 per cent have had access to water supply and rural areas with 60 per cent. In terms of sanitation three quarters of urban area homes have been having access to sanitation compared to a third of rural areas.
But of late, the water shortage serves as a huge blow to the few 19 per cent homes connected to sewers, together with another 60 per cent that rely on septic tanks or improved household latrines
Nevertheless, 3W claims to have found a solution that backed with evidence that would likely reduce the crisis. Their new app sEAUlidaire (French word for Water and Solidarity combined) is now helping desperate homes quench their thirst for water.
Serving as proof that social media could have a positive impact across Africa, the new app developed by the Senegalese communication and social media agency, utilizes Facebook to link users with water to those who need it. The feedback has been positive so far.
“Solidarity, here’s what we can move forward in a country on the slope,” commented a subscriber on social media.
In the app posted on Facebook, registered users who wish to receive or give water, are able to ask for or give directions to other users of the app who would like to share water resources. For users in need of assistance, the app receives a Facebook notification stating that a person asks for help.
