Water Resources, Sanitation, and Public Health Engineering
Under the water resources, sanitation, and public health engineering subsector, we offer a comprehensive suite of services, including, but not limited to;
- Rooftop rainwater harvesting,
- Wastewater treatment,
- Faecal sludge management,
- Sanitation infrastructure facilities,
- Water asset management,
- Piped water supply systems,
- Water treatment,
- Borehole Drilling, Production Well Drilling, and Shallow Well Drilling.
Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting
Rainwater harvesting is the collection, filtering, storage and distribution of rainwater. This can be used for irrigation of lawns, or as an emergency supply or even as a complete off-the-grid system. Depending on the volumes stored, the water could be collected into water tanks or reservoirs.
We undertake feasibility studies, design, and installation of rainwater harvesting, for both above ground and underground storage tanks. All our systems incorporate water purification and filtration technologies as first flush (foul flush) diverter systems and rainwater filters, ensuring high quality water goes to the storage tanks and reservoirs. Our designs can either be based on dry rainwater harvesting systems or wet rainwater harvesting systems, according to client preferences. We also implement other complex rainwater harvesting and stormwater runoff management initiatives as rain gardens, managed aquifer recharge (MAR) and injection wells, water pans, sand dams, and valley tanks (valley dams).
We undertake supply and installation of the following;
- Rainwater filters i.e. with 60, 130, and 136 micron mesh filters,
- Rainwater storage tanks i.e. plastic HDPE tanks, ferrocement tanks, reinforced concrete cement tanks,
- Rooftop guttering.
We offer numerous types of water and reservoir storage tanks, such as;
- Galvanised steel pressed sectional water tanks (both on elevated steel towers and dwarf walls),
- HDG tanks,
- FRP tanks,
- Onion tanks (pumpkin tanks) i.e. 5,000L-30,000L,
- Bladder tanks (pillow tanks) i.e. 1,000L-30,000L,
- Reinforced concrete cement (RCC) tanks,
- Interlocking stabilised soil block (ISSB) tanks (both aboveground and underground water tanks),
- Bamboo tanks,
- Stainless steel tanks (smart tanks),
- Ferrocement tanks,
- HDPE plastic tanks,
- Glass lined steel tanks,
- Steel pressed sectional tanks,
- Enamel tanks,
- PVC tarpaulin water tanks.
SANKOFA has earned a mark of distinction as a national leader in smart rainwater harvesting technologies in Uganda, and is thus your trusted partner in undertaking the installation of rainwater harvesting, filtration, and storage projects.
Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. On the other hand, wastewater treatment is the removal of impurities from wastewater before it reaches aquifers or natural bodies of water.
SANKOFA remains a reliable engineering consulting firm in offering top quality, reliable services in design and construction of wastewater treatment plants in Uganda. Our wastewater treatment specialists combine expertise in design and operation of biological, physical, and chemical wastewater treatment processes to meet our clients’ needs for effective and efficient wastewater treatment facilities.
We design new wastewater treatment plants and upgrade existing facilities. Through our value engineering approach, we provide our clients with designs that meet their needs while achieving the goal of minimising construction and O&M costs.
We design for and undertake implementation of residential, commercial, industrial or municipal wastewater treatment systems. Our goal is to offer solutions that increase your production capacity and decrease your operating costs by optimising wastewater treatment energy processes. We design and deliver fit-for-purpose industrial wastewater and effluent treatment equipment. Our range of industrial wastewater treatment equipment includes up flow anaerobic sludge blanket reactors (UASB), anaerobic baffled reactors (ABR), clarifiers, industrial oil separators, solids separators, dissolved air flotation (DAF), sludge thickening units, hydro cyclones, among others. Our effluent systems are fit for brewery, dairy, textile, wet coffee processing, sugar refineries, abattoir, food processing, leather tanning, paint, plastics recycling, pulp and paper, chemical, beverages, and battery recycling industrial wastewater. Wastewater treatment plants vary in capacity and features, and our full spectrum of wastewater treatment technologies includes;
- Membrane biological reactors (MBR),
- Anaerobic membrane biological reactors (AnMBR),
- Moving bed bioreactors (MBBR),
- Sequencing batch reactors (SBR),
- Wastewater pumping stations (master lift stations),
- Compact wastewater treatment plants,
- Effluent treatment plants (ETP),
- Floating treatment wetlands (FTW),
- Sewage lagoons,
- Water resource recovery facilities (WRRF),
- Trickling filters,
- Underground wastewater treatment plants,
- Decanting ponds and facultative ponds,
- Facultative membrane bioreactors (FMBR),
- Decentralised wastewater treatment systems (DEWATS),
- Wastewater treatment solutions for FOG (fats, oil, and grease). These systems remove oil emulsions, suspended solids, and organic materials from wastewater.
We undertake supply for the following wastewater treatment components;
- Screw press sludge dewatering machines,
- Slurry pumps (sewage pumps),
- Dissolved air flotation (DAF) machines,
- Jet mixers,
- Grease trap waste pumpers,
- Automation systems for realtime wastewater treatment process monitoring i.e. PLCs, HMIs, and SCADA equipment.
Undoubtedly, working with a well-established, knowledgeable partner for one’s wastewater treatment plant design and operation can be indispensable. Our solutions specialise in optimising each step of the client’s wastewater treatment process. We offer preventive maintenance programs and numerous maintenance solutions, including a full spectrum of technologies, genuine spare parts, and complex issue troubleshooting, all designed to suit client needs and to give clients peace of mind for the entire lifetime of the wastewater treatment facility.
Faecal Sludge Management
Faecal sludge management (FSM) entails all activities for the adequate storage, collection, transport, treatment, and safe end use or disposal of faecal sludge (FS) within non-sewered sanitation systems such as pit latrines and septic tanks. Faecal sludge, which is raw or partially digested slurry or semisolid, is a result of combinations of excreta and blackwater, with or without greywater.
The principal aim of FSM is to ensure that untreated FS is deposited, contained, and removed from the community hygienically and safely, treated, and reused or disposed of safely. It is this premise that the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6.2 draws the focus on safe human excreta management along the entire sanitation value chain (SVC).
Under our faecal sludge management solutions, we offer the following services;
- Design and construction of faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP),
- Cesspool emptier services, and supply of sewage suction trucks (vacuum trucks/desludging trucks),
- Design and construction of constructed wetlands (artificial wetlands), sewage lagoons, floating reed beds, and waste stabilisation ponds for human wastes for small-town centres and institutions such as schools,
- Construction of bio digester septic tanks, which decompose waste on-site hence require no emptying,
- Construction of accessible toilets i.e. for PWDs and elderly people,
- Sanitation safety planning (SSP),
- Gulping services and supply of gulper equipment.
Sanitation Infrastructure Facilities
Under our sanitation, hygiene, and public health interventions, we offer services for safe disposal of human excreta. Human excreta must be properly disposed of, to ensure a safe, healthy, and liveable environment! Proper disposal of human excreta prevents pollution of the environment, air, and water resources. Safe disposal necessitates the construction of well designed, and sited physical infrastructures, which minimise impact of the faecal matter on groundwater resources.
We undertake the construction of sewered (waterborne toilets) and onsite sanitation facilities, including but not limited to the following components;
- Waterborne/flush toilet facilities,
- Pour flush toilets (SATO pans),
- Lined/drainable pit latrines, complete with menstrual hygiene management (MHM) facilities,
- Septic tanks and soak pits,
- Mobile toilets and portable toilets,
- Doom shaped slab toilets,
- Bio digester septic tanks,
- Hands free hand washing stations and WASHaLOTs,
- Vacuum sanitation technologies for ships, buildings, and mobile facilities.
We also supply home and industrial cleaning equipment as steam cleaners, electric pressure washers, hot water high pressure washers, wet vacuum cleaners, washing machines, grass cutters and lawn mowers, and swimming pool cleaning items/chemicals.
At SANKOFA, we have specialist knowledge and expertise in the design and construction of different types of sanitation systems, suitable for various geological conditions and cultural settings.
Water Asset Management
Currently, most towns have ageing water infrastructure systems, incapable of providing a minimal level of services. At the same time, these cities are faced with unprecedented pressures to provide “more services with less resources”. This combined challenge calls for a systematic approach for maintenance, renewal, and expansion decision making. In the urban sector, this applies to water supply and distribution systems, among other utility infrastructure.
In addition, water systems are often not equipped to formulate sound maintenance and renewal prioritization plans, backed by state-of-the-art knowledge and tools. This lack of capacity renders the enormous investments in water supply infrastructure to be unsustainable. Water infrastructure asset management and the sound application of asset management principles remains an essential component in the maintenance and improvement of services in water supply systems. This requires identification of the most critical components of networks, lifecycle cost analysis, and minimizing negative impacts of inevitable failures.
SANKOFA applies time tested principles like whole-lifecycle optimization as well as innovations like artificial intelligence and big data techniques, which have a prominent place in asset management in a rapidly changing environment.
Our technical experts bring an experienced eye and a fresh outlook to carefully study your water supply system with regards to water supply pressures, distribution pipe specifications, water quality and all system components, and guide you on the right infrastructure to use, how long it will serve, and how often it should be replaced, with an overall aim of driving operational efficiency. We thus provide you with project lifecycle solutions to maximise asset values, from feasibility studies through to decommissioning. This enables you to optimise operations and maximise plant asset values throughout the lifecycle of the facilities.
We also offer services as;
- Water infrastructure condition assessments and capital improvement plans,
- Water audits and water balance studies,
- Planned preventive maintenance.
Piped Water Supply Systems
Piped water supply systems can be either solar powered water supply systems or gravity flow schemes. We undertake both design and construction of solar powered and gravity flow piped water supply systems. Regarding design, our work includes socio-economic surveys, feasibility studies, preliminary designs, detailed engineering designs, confidential engineer’s cost estimates (BOQs), and tender documentations. In arid areas, we are able to design systems that are wind powered, provided there is availability of sufficient wind speeds.
We offer and implement a number of technical solutions in water supply, including but not limited to;
- Feasibility study, detailed engineering design, and construction of piped water supply systems,
- Design of national water resources masterplans,
- Rehabilitation of gravity flow schemes and solar powered piped water supply systems,
- Construction and rehabilitation of protected springs,
- Undertaking hydrogeological surveys, siting, and drilling of boreholes and production wells. We also undertake test pumping, borehole motorization, and installation of submersible probes (water level sensors and dip meters) for boreholes,
- Borehole fishing and cleaning (borehole flushing),
- Water quality testing, analysis, and monitoring,
- Active leakage detection on distribution pipes, water audits, and NRW/water loss management,
- Water infrastructure rehabilitation and optimal replacement,
- Undertaking high billing investigations, meter tampering, faulty meters, etc,
- Laying of pipe extension mains (water lines), as well as pipe relocations and pipeline rehabilitations,
- Installation of fixtures as fire hydrants, service valves, air valves, butterfly valves, gate valves, etc,
- Undertaking of electromechanical works at pump houses and high lift pumping stations,
- Pressure testing for water transmission mains and for water supply systems for high-rise buildings,
- Construction of sand dams for surface water harvesting, earth dams, water pans, valley tanks, etc,
- Supply of borehole and hand pump spare parts, and drilling accessories,
- Supply of solar water pumping equipment and accessories i.e., solar PV modules/solar panels, solar charge controllers, inverters, batteries, armoured cables, solar panel mounting structures, etc,
- Supply of water distribution system fittings e.g., gate valves, check valves, pressure reducing valves, hot and cold water meters, mechanical and ultrasonic flow meters, irrigation meters, leak detectors, etc,
- Configuration of surface water and ground water level monitoring stations (analog and telemetric),
- Electromechanical instrumentation,
- Pressure management systems,
- Water audits and water balance studies,
- Water safety planning.
We supply various equipment, fixtures, and accessories in water supply, including;
- Meter test benches,
- Prepaid smart water meters (with remote billing and shutoff),
- Chlorine dosing equipment i.e. inline chlorinators,
- Booster pumps,
- Elevated tower tanks,
- Ground penetrating radars and ground geophones,
- Acoustic leakage detectors and listening sticks,
- Submersible pumps and submersible motors,
- Gate valves,
- Trenching machines,
- Cast iron pipes, ductile iron pipes, galvanized pipes, and mild steel seamless pipes,
- Galvanized steel cold pressed sectional reservoir tanks,
- HDPE butt fusion welding machines,
- Electrofusion welding machines,
- PVC pipes, uPVC pipes, HDPE pipes, PEX pipes, PPR pipes, and PPRC pipes,
- SCADA, PLCs, and water quality and quantity monitoring sensors,
- Water quality testing kits and laboratory reagents.
Water Treatment
Access to clean, fresh water is fundamental to life and well-being. It is therefore of fundamental importance that water meant for drinking and process water be treated to acceptable water quality standards, through various water filtration and purification technologies/systems to help remove salt, chlorine, bacteria, and other contaminants as well as odours, unpleasant tastes, and hardness from water.
We offer a number of water treatment technologies, ranging from simple to high-end treatment, filtration, and purification systems, suited for homes, institutions, and bottling plants. Our modern, high-quality technologies range from bulk treatment for communal water points, as well as filtration systems for homes. These include but not limited to;
- Mobile water quality testing laboratories (vehicle labs),
- Portable water quality testing kits,
- Ceramic filters,
- Aquatabs (water purification tablets),
- Compact water treatment units,
- Digital arsenic detection kits,
- Microbiological water testing kits,
- Multi parameter chemical test kits,
- Pocket conductivity meters,
- Ultra filtration systems,
- Bag filter housings,
- Reverse osmosis systems,
- Desalination systems,
- Reverse osmosis filters and filter cartridges,
- Water quality testing reagents,
- TDS meters, pH meters, chlorine testers, conductivity meters, turbidity meters, etc,
- Drinking water quality monitoring stations (online monitoring stations),
- Containerized RO systems,
- Point of use solar ultraviolet (UV) disinfection systems,
- Process water equipment and machinery for bottling plants i.e. injection moulding machines (water bottle moulding) and 3 in 1 bottling plants with automatic rising, filling, and capping,
- Ultrapure automatic water vending machines (water ATMs), both coin and card swipe operated.
Our team of experienced water treatment specialists guide you with system design and product selection needed to efficiently treat your raw or process water. Our experts provide professional consultation and support at every step of the process of the water treatment system design and implementation.
Borehole Drilling, Production Well Drilling, and Shallow Well Drilling
A borehole is a narrow shaft bored in the ground for the purpose of extracting groundwater. Boreholes are cased, gravel packed, and equipped with a pump and wellhead protection. The borehole penetrates the earth’s surface to underground stores of water held in permeable rock known as aquifers. The water is pumped to a supply point on the surface. The pumping is done either with a hand pump or motorised pump. Boreholes are used to extract water, usually from depths between 20m and 200m.
Numerous drilling techniques exist, which depend on water table depth, cost, site accessibility/terrain, soil type, type of geological formation, etc. Regarding borehole drilling and well development, we offer the following services;
- Hydrogeological survey,
- Borehole fishing,
- Borehole flushing and development of production wells/boreholes,
- Test pumping,
- Borehole camera inspection,
- Borehole rehabilitation.
Advanced underground water detectors: We offer the latest, advanced underground water detectors, that can detect underground water up to a depth of 1,200m. Our technology is able to provide a 3D image and analysis of water properties, including the optimal drilling location with the highest volume, the depth of the discovered water, salinity, rock composition, and type of water i.e. fresh, natural, salty, or very salty. This advanced scientific instrument enables hydrogeologists to visualize subsurface water layers in unprecedented detail, through the 3D image and detailed analysis, providing a complete and accurate report on underground water.
We supply a number of borehole, production well, and handpump related items, including;
- Borehole inspection cameras and winches,
- Drilling rigs,
- Air compressors,
- Drill bits,
- Hand pumps and spares parts,
- Terrameter machines and VES equipment,
- Direct action handpumps, India Mark II handpumps, Afridev hand pumps, and bush pumps,
- Polyester rope/pump safety ropes,
- Well dip meters and submersible probes (water level depth indicators),
- Submersible pumps, submersible motors, submersible cables, and joint kits.
Protected Springs (Spring Protection).
A spring is where underground water flows to the surface. Springs may occur when the water table meets the ground surface; these are called gravity springs. Other times water is forced to the surface because the water carrying layer meets an impermeable layer (gravity overflow springs or contact springs). In some cases, groundwater is held under pressure and springs come to the surface because of a natural break in the rock, or because a shallow excavation is made (artesian springs).
Springs can make very good water supplies provided that they are properly protected against contamination. If springs are found above the village, they can feed a pipe system for providing water close to homes. When a spring is at the same, or lower level than the village, it can still be protected, but greater care is needed and it is unlikely that water will flow through the pipe system by gravity. The first step in deciding whether a spring should be protected is to determine whether it provides enough water for the expected number of users.
A storage tank may be needed so that water flowing from the spring at night can be stored and used during the day, instead of running to waste.
To protect a spring, a retaining wall or box is constructed around the “eye” of the spring, where the water emerges from the ground. The area behind the wall or box is backfilled with sand and stones to filter water as it enters the box and help remove contamination in the groundwater. The backfill area is capped with clay and grass is planted on top.
The whole area is fenced and a ditch dug above the spring to prevent surface water from eroding the backfill area and contaminating the spring. The collection area is covered with concrete and sufficient space left beneath the outlet pipe for people to place jerry cans and buckets.
A lined drain is constructed to carry spilled water away from the spring. The water could be used for laundry, to feed an animal-watering trough or for irrigating a garden. In other situations, spilled water may be drained to a soak-away pit or to the nearest surface water body. To prevent mosquito breeding, water from the spring should not be allowed to form pools.
The constructed spring well comprises of: internal terrace to collect water from sources, spring box to store and reduce speed of water, an apron to provide space for inspection and renovation of the spring well, screens to remove solid elements from water, brick wing wall to raise water level, non-rusting outlets to direct clean water from the spring well to containers, rabbles to prevent soil erosion, and an external terrace to direct untapped water to safe disposal.
- Ideal for small businesses or startups
- Monthly/Quarterly strategy sessions
- Comprehensive consulting services
- Designed for established businesses
- Full range of consulting services
- Priority email and phone support
