Work is underway on an ambitious project to provide 100% of Zanzibar's water by sun-powered desalination.

The latest installation is for a solar desalination plant at the 776-bed Mnazi Moja Hospital in Stone Town on Unguja, the largest island of the Indian Ocean archipelago. When completed, the plant will be capable of providing more than 100,000 litres of clean water for use by the hospital.

Access to clean and safe drinking water has been a huge challenge for Zanzibar, which has a population of over 750,000, and is one of the driest regions in the world. Sea level rise is contributing to water pollution, with underground water sources becoming saline and polluted.

The project will contribute towards UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 - clean water and sanitation for all - and is being undertaken by German water treatment specialist Boreal Light, which has a contract to provide 100% of Zanzibar’s water supply.

The company's technology can produce drinking and irrigation water directly from high saline seawater and brackish water sources using only solar energy. It is designed to produce water free from contamination, including bacteria and viruses.

The company says it can perform under the harshest climate conditions, in the remotest parts of the world.

The rollout began earlier this year with installation of a desalination system for drinking water and urban irrigation at Nungui School in the north of Unguja.

Mnazi Moja Hospital is the largest in Zanzibar, an autonomous region of Tanzania, and is at the forefront of Zanzibar’s battle against the Covid-19 pandemic. The hospital’s plant is also equipped with a system to treat wastewater, ensuring no pollution is released into the environment.

The project is being implemented by WaterKiosk, Boreal Light’s African subsidiary, and is supported by the DeveloPPP Program, which is implemented by the German investment company DEG on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation & Development (BMZ). The president of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Mwinyi attended the inauguration of the plant.

Project investor GreenTec Capital said, "We are very excited to see the Zanzibar project being implemented and look forward to reporting more on its progress."