A solar-powered community water centre has been installed in the city of Kinshasa, alongside a brand new basketball court.

The innovative project is the first in a series that will provide an affordable and reliable supply of clean water to 1.2 million under-served residents in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It uses a fully-automated, solar-powered water purification and desalination technology called AQUAtap, which has been designed for rural and peri-urban locations where infrastructure is scarce.

Each unit is powered by photovoltaic panels and the systems are equipped with multiple purchase points for the cashless sale of clean water to the community. AQUAtap can convert contaminated water, brackish water or seawater into purified drinking water at a rate of up to 100,000 litres per day. A single solar-powered AQUAtap system can produce clean water available for purchase by up to 5,000 people each day.

The launch of the Community Water Center in Kinshasa is the first in phase one of a clean water initiative which plans to deploy 500 more across DRC. The long-term objective is to provide potable water to over 10 million people in communities throughout the country.

Dikembe Mutombo, managing director of the partnership delivering the AQUAtap initiative, said, “Clean water is essential to nurturing life on Earth. Through my dedication to giving back and to improving the lives of Africans, I have come to realise that providing water, the source of all life, is fundamental to serving humanity.

“Without clean water, good health is impossible. To better the lives of my fellow Africans and to further the causes of education, medicine, and financial independence, this clean water initiative is paramount.

“I am also extremely proud of the fact that our partnership incorporated a basketball court at the site of this first AQUAtap. This provides a safe, protected environment for local children to learn and play the game that I am so passionate about.”

DRC is Africa’s second largest country and has over 50% of the continent’s water reserves, but some 33 million people in rural areas still lack access to quality water, according to UNICEF.

The AQUAtap project was made possible through a strategic partnership between Canadian company Quest Water Solutions and DRC company Kalo Products.