Safe Groundwater Organization (SAGO)-TANZANIA

Located in Morogoro, Tanzania.

About us

Who we are

SAGO is a non-profit organization that has focused on sustainably providing safe, clean, and proper sanitation and hygiene for drinking water sources, particularly groundwater sources within communities, in both mining and non-mining areas in Tanzania. But also, ensuring the conservation of catchments and the environment at large from the pollution which can be influenced by natural and human activities while maintaining the quality and quantity of drinking water sources under climate changes.

Mission and objectives

To ensure the sustainable provision of safe and clean drinking water sources, along with other domestic uses, it is crucial to maintain the quality and quantity of water sources from impacts that can be exacerbated by both natural processes and anthropogenic activities. This aligns with the objectives outlined in Sustainable Development Goals 2, 3, 6, 13, 15, and 16, of 2030.

Top of Form

What we do

The purpose of SAGO is to ensure the provision of safe and clean drinking water, particularly groundwater, which has been observed to be a vital resource for both present and future generations in the face of climate change. To achieve this, SAGO employs the geophysics method by exploring potential groundwater zones of freshwater, drilling, and designing boreholes while also conducting pumping tests to ensure communities utilize drinking water sources that reach their demand.

The geochemical method is also utilized in maintaining the quality of groundwater sources from pollution by measuring chemical parameters including physicochemical parameters and heavy metals (Hg, As, Pb, Cd, etc) within drilled boreholes, dug wells, and existing boreholes and dug wells in mining and non-mining areas as Tanzania is one of the countries dominated by both artisanal and small scale and large scale miners in regions such as Geita, Kahama, Mara, Kagera. This is to ensure community members utilize safe and clean drinking water that aligns with standard guidelines including WHO and TBS.

Furthermore, SAGO addresses the vulnerability of groundwater to contamination released from agricultural activities. Sometimes the use of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers influences quality of groundwater sources and surface water such as rivers, lakes, or other catchments. Additionally, SAGO employs other methods such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), isotopic analysis, and software such as MODFLOW to detect groundwater flow patterns and contaminants effectively.

Through these activities we improve the overall public health by enhancing Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services, and ensure sustainability of water sources by informing and educating the community and all stakeholders about the potential of water sources and the risk of contamination from human activities in both mining and agricultural areas after modelling and means to protect and conserve these sources. Also we aim to reduce the well failures by providing proper geophysical and geochemical information as well as proper well design which will result to cost effective maintenance of the wells. The appropriate measures to climate changes will be achieved after applying the aforementioned Climate and hydrological modelling tools together with designing the less water consuming Irrigation systems and scheduling the Irrigation systems in such a way there will be no significant water loss.