For a lighter burden: competition for a better water container

Photo: The Water Channel

The Water Channel is offering US$ 500 for the best idea for an alternative to the jerry can.

The ergonomics of the jerry cans are clearly wrong, says Frank van Steenbergen. Up to 80 million women in Africa have to carry water daily, which can result in a high prevalence of spinal and back pain.

There are a few alternatives like the ‘water back pack’ and Hippo Roller but the Water Channel is looking for fresh ideas:  either to promote existing improved devices, or breakthrough designs as alternative options.

The deadline is 15 December. Send entries to info@thewaterchannel.tv

Source: Frank van Steenbergen, For a lighter burden, TheWaterBlog, 08 Oct 2012

“Water SMS”: improving urban water services in Indonesia through crowd–sourced map data

Poor residents in Indonesian cities of Malang (East Java) and Makassar (South Sulawesi) will soon be using their mobile phones to report problems with their water and sanitation services like poor water quality or quantity, well failures, failure of tanker water supplies, and costs for tanker water. This will enable water providers to learn about and quickly respond to customer complaints.

The Pacific Institute has launched the 3-year WASH SMS Project (September 2010 – September 2013) through a three-year pilot funded by USAID Development Grants Program (DGP). The Institute is working with Indonesian partner PATTIRO (experience in Indonesia focused on improving public services, and strengthening government capacity), and technology partner Nexleaf (a leader in mobile phone use to collect environmental data).

Read more about the project at:

• Pacific Institute – WASH SMS Project Overview
• USAID Indonesia – “Water SMS”: Improving Water Services in Indonesia through Crowd –Sourced Map Data

Related news: India, New Delhi: using Facebook and SMS to keep the city clean, E-Source, 23 May 2011

UK: Thames Water’s new “Tweet a leak” service proves popular

In December 2010, Thames Water requested its social-networking customers to start reporting details of burst or leaking pipes on Twitter.

The UK’s largest water and wastewater company urged customers to ‘tweet a leak’ to its Twitter profile @thameswater using using the #tweetaleak hash tag. In the first four weeks, the service generated over 250 reports about leakages, around 9 a day. Due to the exceptionally cold weather in December, Thames Water was reporting nearly 300 leaks a day, four times the normal number at that time of year.

When the water in reservoirs drops below 5 degrees Celsius and enters Thames Water’s mains, especially the old cast-iron ones, they contract and in some cases break. The colder it gets the worse the problems gets. [...]  More than 20 per cent of London’s water mains are over 150 years old – the oldest in the UK – and more than 40 per cent are over 100 years old.

Thames Water supplies drinking water to 8.7 million customers in London and the Thames Valley.

Example of Twitter feed on twitter.com/thameswater 08-09 January 2011

• @morecheerful Hi, just to let you know this was repaired last night. Amy11:28 AM Jan 9th via HootSuitein reply to morecheerful
• @allondon71 Hi Alex, can you give me the postcode for this please? Amy11:24 AM Jan 9th via web in reply to allondon71
• @ifuller1 @darryl1974 Hi both, the leak on Trafalgar Road was repaired last night. Amy11:23 AM Jan 9th via web in reply to ifuller1
• @allondon71 Thanks for the #tweetaleak will get that reported. Amy9:29 PM Jan 8th via txt
• @morecheerful Hi, we’re due to repair this tonight. Amy6:37 PM Jan 8th via txt

Source: Thames Water, 06 Jan 2011 – 10 Dec 2010 – 06 Dec 2011

WASH technology information packages

UNICEF has published WASH technology information packages (TIPs) [1], a practical set of guidelines and selection tools for WASH programme and supply staff.

The following WASH technologies are covered:

1. Hand pumps for drinking water
2. Boreholes and drilling equipment for rural water supply
3. Solar powered pumping
4. Motorized and small piped systems
5. Faecal sludge emptying equipment

The TIPs are linked to Excel spreadsheets giving selection tools and bills of quantity.

Originally written for UNICEF WASH Programme Officers (each of whom have received the package on a USB stick), the TIPs have now been made available on the UNICEF web site. They are free to be reproduced as long as UNICEF is credited as the source.

[1] Baumann, E., Montangero, A., Sutton, S. and Erpf. K. (2010). WASH technology information packages : for UNICEF WASH programme and supply personnel. Copenhagen, Denmark, UNICEF. 194 p. : fig., photo. Includes references.

Download package (includes a PDF file and related Excel files).