Case history: UN Peacekeeping Camp, Mali:
Producing drinking water from wastewater in the Sahara Desert
One of the most demanding applications of water reuse was implemented at Camp Castor, a United Nations peacekeeping base in Mali.
Located in the Sahara desert, the camp faced significant challenges regarding water availability. Groundwater resources were limited, and supplying water through conventional logistics was both costly and operationally complex.
To reduce groundwater abstraction, an advanced water treatment system was developed to transform treated wastewater into (the quality of)drinking water.
The installation combined:
- Membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology
- Ozone treatment
- Activated carbon filtration
- Ultrafiltration
- Reverse osmosis
To provide continuous microbiological assurance, the system was equipped with microLAN’s BACTcontrol technology.
Why monitoring was critical
Traditional microbiological testing can require days before laboratory results become available and in Mali it coould not even been done in the country. In a remote and mission-critical environment, such delays may create unacceptable risks.
BACTcontrol provided rapid online detection of microbiological activity, including indicators such as coliform bacteria and E.coli, allowing operators to respond quickly if contamination was detected.
Results
The project achieved significant operational benefits:
- Drinking water (quality) was successfully produced from treated wastewater.
- Groundwater abstraction was reduced by approximately 65%.
- Continuous microbiological monitoring strengthened confidence in water quality.
- Operators gained rapid warning capability for potential contamination events.
- Water quality was maintained according to stringent operational requirements.
The Mali project demonstrated that even under extreme environmental conditions, water reuse can become a reliable component of water supply infrastructure when supported by advanced monitoring and process control.
