Myths of Rural Water Supply Learning from past failures, building on successes

Project start: 2010 • Project finished:
Collaborators: UNICEF, Skat, WaterAid, Water & Sanitation Program, African Development Bank, Swiss Development Cooperation
Funder:

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Summary

Ensuring that rural dwellers around the world do not have to walk for hours to collect sufficient and safe drinking water is a huge challenge. In 2010, RWSN published "Myths of the Rural Water Supply Sector" which raises issues for those of us who are involved in trying to improve rural water supplies, whether as donor, Government or NGO; program manager or practitioner. It takes a hard look at our limited achievements, points to areas where our approaches need to be radically improved and sets some challenges.

'Smart Handpumps' Handpumps can be better - who is leading the way?

Project start: • Project finished:
Collaborators: Several
Funder: Several

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Summary

Drilling a borehole and installing a handpump is a common way to improve access to water for rural (and urban) people in many parts of the world. However, the failure of these water points is shockingly high, a third in many African and Asian countries and often much higher.

New communications technology is opening up the possibilities for 'Smart Handpumps' - handpumps that actively record how and when they are used and transmits that data to an organisation who can use that information to (a) mobilise targeted maintenance and repairs; (b) identity priority areas for future improvements and investments; (c) to understand the user needs better, and main other reasons that shift rural water supply away from 'fire-and-forget' projects and towards water services that last and that reach everyone.

Technology Applicability Framework (TAF) & Technology Introduction Process (TIP) WASHtechnologies.net

Project start: 2011 • Project finished:
Collaborators: Skat Foundation, WaterAid, GIZ. The WASHTech consortium consisted of IRC WASH, WaterAid, Cranfield University, Skat Foundation, WSA, TREND, KNUST and NETWAS
Funder: Currently un-funded

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Summary

The TAF is a tried-and-tested way of helping organisations improve their understanding of whether a technology that is designed to tackle a Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) problem will work in a particular context. This improved understanding can be used to support decisions on:

1. Whether or not to invest or support the introduction of Technology X in Context Y
2. Whether or not to continue to invest, support or approve the introduction of Technology X in Context Y
3. Is Technology X ready to scale-up? And what are context-sensitive factors that may play a major role in the success or failure of widespread promotion and uptake?

Although the TAF was developed for WASH technologies, it can be used for any type of technology or product, and has been adapted by others for renewable energy technologies.

RWSN Publications - now on Practical Answers RWSN Publications - maintenant sur Practical Answers

Project start: 2018 • Project finished:
Collaborators: RWSN, Practical Action
Funder: SDC

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Summary

To help rural water professionals get access to the inform they need, RWSN has teamed up with Practical Action to make some of our leading publications available on the Practical Answers website and mobile App.

Let is know if there are any particular resources or publications that you would like to have on this platform.

Pour aider les professionnels de l’eau en milieu rural à accéder aux informations dont ils ont besoin, le RWSN s’est associé à Practical Action pour rendre certaines de nos principales publications disponibles sur le site Web de Practical Answers et l’application mobile.

Indiquez s'il existe des ressources ou des publications particulières que vous aimeriez avoir sur cette plate-forme.

The 2019 RWSN directory of rural water supply services, tariffs, management models and lifecycle costs Le répertoire RWSN 2019 des services, tarifs, modes de gestion et coûts globaux d'approvisionnement en eau rurale

Project start: 2019 • Project finished:
Collaborators: Various
Funder: SDC

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Summary

RURAL WATER SUPPLY IS CHANGING

The rural water supply sector is undergoing a period of change. In response to the challenges of achieving universal access to safe, affordable drinking water and sustaining those services, there has been increasing innovation in different types of rural water service models.
In recent decades, the project-based approach, has focused on government delivery of infrastructure and voluntary community-based management.
While this achieved success in many countries in the Millennium Development Goal period of 1990-2015, the bar set by Sustainable Development Goal 6.1 is higher and many countries are off-track to meet their commitments.

LET’S TALK ABOUT MONEY

Since 1992, the Rural Water Supply Network (earlier called the Handpump Technology Network), has been a global platform for professionals to share and collaborate.
However, such discussions and networking often focus on technical and thematic issues and the financial considerations are often either ignored, of secondary importance or vague and unsupported by figures. This is often because either the data isn’t available or it is too sensitive to share in the public domain.
Decision-making, at every level, is about trade-offs: money spent on rural water is money not spent on schools, or health or other essential services, and vice-versa.
If universal access to safe water services is to be achieved by 2030, then we as rural water professionals need to be more financially literate about the options, opportunities and costs .

This Directory is intended to show the growing range of management options beyond community-based management (CBM). Some are novel interventions that are still being piloted, others have been established for a decade or more.

This directory is therefore a contribution to the wider conversation of ensuring that no-one gets left behind.

Testing, Piloting, and Validation of the Rural Water Indicator Global Framework

Project start: 2017 • Project finished:
Collaborators: The World Bank, WPDx, WaterAid, Aguaconsult, IRC
Funder: The World Bank

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Summary

Globally, the proportion of people living without improved drinking water was halved between 1990 and 2010; however, inequities remain between and within countries. For example, eight out of 10 people who are still without access to improved drinking water sources live in rural areas.

Agreeing on a global core set of indicators that can be integrated into existing monitoring efforts or harnessed as a foundation for new monitoring efforts will improve the efficiency of the sector and still enable collection of locally relevant information.

Writing Course for WASH Professionals Skat, WaterAid, SHARE, Waterlines Journal

Project start: 2012 • Project finished: -
Collaborators: RWSN, Skat, WaterAid, SHARE, Waterlines Journal
Funder: SHARE

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Summary

The Challenge

Over 2.5 billion have no access to improved sanitation and 780 million people lack access to improved sources of drinking water, according to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme (2012). The numbers are staggering. The suffering is real. The challenge to overcome is immense. Success can only come through a combination of action and communication. Both are critical.
We have a vision where Water, Sanitation and Hy-giene (WASH) professionals are regularly sharing and learning – at all levels from districts to global networks. As a sector, we also need to reach out and communicate with wide range of audiences: politicians, policymakers, companies, water users, and the public in all countries.
We often have the content: experiences, data, pro-jects, methodologies and stories of success and failure. What we are often not great at is explaining ourselves to others in a way that leads to positive action.
We want to change that.

Safe Water: monitoring, data and decisions Une eau potable gérée en toute sécurité: surveillance, données, décisions

Project start: 2019 • Project finished: -
Collaborators: University of North Carolina, RWSN
Funder:

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Summary

New partnership between RWSN and The Water Institute of UNC
Nouveau partenariat entre RWSN et le Water Institute à UNC Chapel Hill

We are excited to announce a new partnership between RWSN and The Water Institute at UNC Chapel Hill. This partnership will leverage the RWSN platform and The Water Institute’s expertise in water quality and management to bring up-to-date evidence and methods to the members of the network. As a new Topic Leader in Mapping and Monitoring,

The Water Institute aims to bring evidence and practice closer by facilitating lively discussion and producing practical guidance on Safely Managed Water. The new partnership will begin in 2019, so look out for The Water Institute’s new weekly Mapping Monday posts in the RWSN Mapping and Monitoring online community in the New Year!

Nous sommes ravis d'annoncer un nouveau partenariat entre RWSN et le Water Institute à UNC Chapel Hill. Ce partenariat s’appuiera sur la plateforme RWSN et sur l’expertise du Water Institute en matière de qualité et de gestion de l’eau pour apporter des données et des méthodes scientifiques de pointe aux membres du réseau. En tant que nouveau responsable du Thème cartographie et de surveillance, The Water Institute a pour objectif de rapprocher la science et les pratique en facilitant une discussion animée et en produisant des conseils pratiques sur une eau gérée de manière sûre. Le nouveau partenariat débutera en 2019, alors ne manquez pas les nouveaux articles hebdomadaires intitulés Mapping Monday du Water Institute dans la communauté en ligne RWSN dédiée à la cartographie et au suivi !

Professionalising Manual Drilling UNICEF, Skat Foundation

Project start: 2013 • Project finished: 2014
Collaborators: UNICEF, Skat Foundation
Funder: UNICEF, Skat Foundation

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Summary

Building and supporting local enterprises to develop markets and undertake manual drilling in a professional manner.

Sustainability Assessment of Rural Water Service Delivery Models Findings of a Multi-Country Review

Project start: 2016 • Project finished: 2017
Collaborators: The World Bank, Aguaconsult, IRC
Funder: The World Bank

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Summary

Failure by governments and development partners to ensure sustained access to basic water supplies in rural areas is, to a large extent, the result of inadequate investment to deliver infrastructure where needed. It is also the result of a failure to ensure that infrastructure, once in place, continues to effectively provide the expected services over time.
Impressive gains from the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era remain fragile and at risk, with various empirical studies indicating that 30 percent to 40 percent of rural water infrastructure is not functioning or functions below expected service levels (RWSN 2010).

A Review of Rural Water and Sanitation Services in Seven Countries of the Danube Region Beyond Utility Reach? How to Close the Urban - Rural Access Gap.

Project start: 2017 • Project finished: 2018
Collaborators: The World Bank, Danube Water Programme + inputs from Skat-Apasan (Moldova)
Funder: The World Bank Group

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Summary

Governments of countries of the Danube region face the double challenge of meeting their citizens’ demand for quality and sustainable water services, while catching up with the environmental requirements of the European Union (EU). In general, the bulk of public investments have targeted urban areas, resulting in the improvement of drinking water systems and the development of wastewater collection and treatment infrastructure. This process is largely driven by EU accession and compliance targets and in several countries involves the regionalization of service providers.

However, rural areas are lagging and significant service access gaps exist in comparison with urban areas. Approximately 28.5 million people remain without access to piped water supply and 22 million remain without flush toilet access in the region (World Bank 2015), of which at least eight out of 10 reside in rural areas. Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) underlines the countries’ commitment to achieving universal access to safe and affordable drinking water and safe sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030 (WHO/UNICEF 2017). Understanding how to effectively reach the rural population with “safely managed services” is paramount from the social inclusion as well as the human rights perspective.

UPGro – African Groundwater 2020 Final report from Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater for the Poor

Project start: 2013 • Project finished: 2020
Collaborators: Skat Foundation, Richard Carter & Associates + research teams from across Africa and Europe.
Funder: UK's Department for International Development (DFID), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and in principle the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

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Summary

Unlocking the Potential of Groundwater for the Poor (UPGro), was a seven-year international research programme (2013-2020) which was jointly funded by UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Nearly 200 of the world’s best researchers from more than 50 organisations across Africa and Europe were focused on improving the evidence base around groundwater availability and management in Sub-Saharan Africa. The goal has been to ensure that the hidden wealth of Africa’s aquifers benefit all citizens and the poorest in particular. UPGro projects have been interdisciplinary, linking the social and natural sciences to address this challenge

Challenges of Water Well Drillers & Water Well Drillers Associations Case Studies of Six Countries Angola, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda and United States of America

Project start: 2018 • Project finished: 2020
Collaborators: Skat Foundation
Funder: Skat Foundation

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Summary

Groundwater has been identified as the key to sustainable development and forms the foundation for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (UN-Water, 2018). Although not properly recognised in the SDG framework, its importance is seen in its provisioning and regulating functions (e.g. maintaining river base flow, preventing land subsidence and seawater intrusion), and acting as a solution for climate change adaptation. Groundwater accounts for over 97% of the world’s freshwater resources, and it is readily available.
Groundwater is diminishing in some regions, and water quality deterioration is increasing (UN-Water, 2018). With no incentives to save groundwater, the impacts of unsustainable use are slow and multiple (Villholth, 2018). In order to sustainably manage groundwater resources, intervention is needed at different levels and in accordance with local contexts.
Drillers are in direct contact with groundwater resources and thus understand key issues on the ground. If well organised, such as in the form of an association, and empowered with knowledge, drillers can advocate for and influence policies at state and national levels, and even lobby the governments to bring groundwater issues to the forefront.

Webinar Series 14 April - 23 June 2020: Human Right to Water - achievable by 2030? Série de webinaires 14 avril - 23 juin 2020 : Droit Humain à l'Eau - Réalisable d'ici 2030?

Project start: 2020 • Project finished: 2020
Collaborators:
Funder: Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC; UNICEF; UK Aid through UPGro and REACH

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Summary

RWSN webinars return! Join the global conversation with leading thinkers and practitioners in rural water supply and WASH. These webinars are free for participants, thanks the support of our series sponsor (SDC) and webinar sponsors (UNICEF, UK Aid through UPGro and REACH)

ENGLISH - every Tuesday @14:30 Central European Summer Time (CEST)

14 April Demystifying the human right
21 April Using data for water safety
28 April Monitoring SDG targets
05 May JMP database on inequalities
19 May RWSN Mentoring Programme
09 June Affordability
16 June A Hidden Crisis?

POSTPONED due to COVID-19:
12 May Right for a regulated and sustainable service
26 May Importance of Household Investments POSTPONED
02 June Borehole Drilling Associations POSTPONED

REACH: Improving water security for the poor A global research programme to improve water security for millions of poor people in Asia and Africa.

Project start: 2015 • Project finished: 2022
Collaborators: Oxford University, UNICEF, Water and Land Resource Centre, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, icddr,b, University of Dhaka, University of Nairobi, IFPRI, IWA, RWSN, IRC.
Funder: DFID

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Summary

REACH is a seven-year, global programme of research (2015-2022) led by Oxford University and funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) that aims to improve water security for over 5 million poor people by 2022.

As a Research into Action partner, the Rural Water Supply Network will support the design and implementation of the programme’s communications strategy, supporting the uptake of the research findings and ensuring that they translate into positive policy and practice outcomes.

RWSN Strategy 2018-2023 La stratégie RWSN 2018-2023

Project start: 2018 • Project finished: 2023
Collaborators: RWSN
Funder: RWSN Executive Committee partners (with special thanks to SDC) + projects + in-kind contributions

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Summary

The 2015-2017 RWSN strategy came to an end last year, and the RWSN Theme Leads and Secretariat have been busy consulting members and partners to develop a new strategy for the period 2018-2023. We have received valuable ideas for the network through consultations with working groups, the 2017 RWSN member survey and evaluation of the network, and the 6-week open consultation to which we invited all RWSN members. We also hosted a webinar in November 2017 during which the RWSN Secretariat and Chair outlined the proposed changes to the existing strategy. Ideas and comments received from the network members and partners through the open consultation were incorporated into the RWSN Strategy in early 2018. The final version of the Strategy was approved by the RWSN Executive Steering Committee in March 2018.
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La stratégie RWSN 2015-2017 a pris fin l'an dernier. Les responsables thématiques et le secrétariat de RWSN ont pris l'initiative de consulter les membres et les partenaires du réseau afin de développer une nouvelle stratégie pour la période 2018-2023. Nous avons reçu des bonnes idées pour le réseau à travers des consultations avec les groupes de travail, l'enquête des membres RWSN 2017 et l'évaluation du réseau, et la consultation ouverte de 6 semaines à laquelle nous avons invité tous les membres de RWSN. Nous avons également organisé un wébinaire en novembre 2017 qui a permis au Secrétariat et à la Présidente de RWSN d'expliquer les changements proposés par rapport à la stratégie existante. Les idées et commentaires reçus des membres et des partenaires du réseau à travers cette consultation ont été incorporés dans la nouvelle stratégie RWSN début 2018. La version finale de la stratégie a été approuvée par le Comité de Pilotage Exécutif de RWSN en mars 2018.