Africa wide WASH technology review published

The WASHTech project has published a literature review [1] focusing on 14 technologies used in Africa in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector.

Descriptions for each technology include a selection of interesting case studies, and an explanation as to whether the technology meets technical, financial, social and institutional success criteria.
Only two technologies met all four success criteria: hand dug wells and the India Mark II pump, and the latter only with the caveat that there was a functional maintenance system.

The least successful technology was the Playpump. Pending further research, jerry cans and the gulper were only found to meet one success criteria (technical success). Except for bio-additives to pit latrines and Playpumps, all other technologies were technically successful. The other success criteria were met by roughly half of the technologies.

Core issues that WASHTech plans to take up further include the appeal of inappropriate technologies like Playpumps and Lifestraws to naive donors, and ways to get government approval for low-cost, locally managed technologies like rope pumps, biosand filters, constructed rainwater harvesting jars, water jetting and tippy taps.

[1] Parker, A. et al., 2011. Africa wide water, sanitation and hygiene technology review. (WASHTech Deliverable 2.1). The Hague: WASHTech c/o IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and Cranfield: Cranfield University. 93 p. : 1 box, 9 fig., 1 tab. Includes references.
Available at: http://wp.me/a1szDW-1o
The aim of the WASHTech project (2011-2013) is to introduce a robust Technology Assessment Framework (TAF), with local partners in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Uganda, that will assess the potential of new innovative WASH technologies. WASHTech is co-funded under the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission’s Africa research programme. To learn more go to washtechafrica.wordpress.com

India, Uttar Pradesh: floodproof handpumps and toilets

Floodproof handpump in Bahraich. Photo: District Administration, District Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India

In Bahraich district of northern Uttar Pradesh, India, handpumps fitted on a raised platform were the only source of drinking water to the 400,000-odd people during floods. The idea for the raised handpumps was promoted by District Magistrate Rigzin Samphel and now serves as a model for other flood prone districts of the state. Samphel also helped to build flood-proof toilets for women in Bahraich.

Every year during the monsoons, when the Ghaghra river brims over, [and] desperate villagers end up drinking turbid floodwater. “The floods inundate all the wells, tube wells and hand pumps. So there’s no drinking water,” says Dharamraj, a 40-year-old farmer in [Sohras] village.

The result: widespread illnesses and even some deaths.

This year has been better.

Exactly 200 flood-prone villages in Bahraich district were fitted with four hand pumps each, the crude water fetching devices mounted on raised platforms rather than at ground level so they wouldn’t be submerged during floods. When the floods first came this year in mid-July, these hand pumps —the only source of drinking water to the 400,000-odd people in these villages — delivered clear and potable water.

Raised handpumps

District Magistrate Rigzin Samphel said he got the idea for the raised handpumps at a meeting with villagers when they asked him “If the flood water goes high why can’t our existing hand pumps too go high’?”

Following a survey, Samphel decided to raise four existing hand pumps in each of 200 flood-prone villages.

Then came the design.

Jal Nigam, a government body to oversee water supply in the state, proposed a 1m-high rectangular platform. The idea was debated in an open forum of block development officers (BDOs) from flood-affected areas, engineers from the state’s flood division and Jal Nigam officials.

At the end of the meeting, they decided on flat top platforms with sloping bases for the hand pumps. The slopes would diminish the force of the floodwater and the 2.9m-high platforms would offer a safe spot for people to stand on and draw water.

There was a bigger problem now. The refitting would need Rs 14,000 [US$ 315] per hand pump, or Rs 1.12 crore [US$ 252,000] for 800 of them. After pondering over several options, Samphel and the team decided to finance the project with funds from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, or MGNREGA – a flagship scheme for providing 100 days of employment to one member in every poor rural household.

To prevent leakages [corruption], Samphel decided against transferring the budget to Jal Nigam, saving on the department’s charges, and instead handed over the funds to the BDOs.

“This was because the project had to (be) accomplished swiftly. So instead of giving funds to 155 village pradhans (village heads), we gave the money to four BDOs. This way I could have better control over the project,” he says.

Uttar Pradesh’s relief commissioner has now asked other flood-affected districts in the state to adopt the model.

Raised toilets

And under the government-funded Sampoorna Swachata Abhiyan (SSA) sanitation scheme, Samphel also helped to build flood-proof toilets for women in Bahraich. Since the scheme had no provision to fund such a project, Samphel used SSA’s 15% publicity budget instead. Samphel gave instructions to paint ‘safe sanitation’ messages on the toilet walls.

The Economist magazine, in 2008, rated Samphel one of the most hard-working bureaucrats in the world. The same year, he won an award from the rural development ministry for his implementation of MGNREGA.

Samphel is single. The demands of his work, he says, don’t leave him much scope to get married.

For more information read the case study “WAT-SAN: Bahraich Model“

In 2005 raised handpumps were also introduced in flood-prone areas in Assam by the Rural Volunteers Centre (RVC) at a cost of INR 10,000 (US$ 225) per handpump, see the case study “Flood resilient WatSan structures : community hand-pumps on raised platforms”.

Source: Pankaj Jaiswal, Hindustan Times, 23 Sep 2010

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).

Micro-Irrigation: MoneyMakers pumps for vegetable production in West Africa

In the hot, dry regions of West Africa, small-scale farmers may spend as many as five hours a day hauling water in calabashes (hollowed, dried out squashes) or plastic buckets to irrigate their crops. But now farmers can make more money without breaking their backs, thanks to “Affordable Micro-Irrigation for Vegetable Production in West Africa,” an initiative of the AVRDC-World Vegetable Centre with support from the Taiwan Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Super MoneyMaker Pump. Photo: Kickstart

Known in Mali as “nafasoro,” the MoneyMaker pump, developed by KickStart, is one of the more widely adopted tools in the region. The pumps are available in two models: a pedal pump, the Super MoneyMaker, which costs 49,500 cfa [US$ 93], and a manual pump, the MoneyMaker Hip Pump, which costs 22,000 cfa [US$ 37].

“[Kickstart’s pump] has very good prospects for riverbank vegetable gardening and irrigating vegetables even about 75-80 meters from river sources,” said Dr. Madhu Bhattarai, an agricultural economist at AVRDC.

Super MoneyMaker Pump

The Super MoneyMaker Pressure Pump was launched in October 1998, in response to a demand by farmers for a pump that can push water uphill as well as simply pulling it up from the source. This means it is suitable for use on steeply sloping land where the water source may be at the bottom. Thousands use it to pump water from hand-dug wells, rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. It is ideal for sprinkler irrigation, filling overhead water tanks, or for use with nozzles and sprays attached to the end of the delivery hose. The pump can draw water up from 7 metres and has a total pumping head of 14 metres. It can be used to irrigate up to 2 acres [8,000 square metres] of land. KickStart says it has sold over 114,000 Super MoneyMaker Pumps to date.

MoneyMaker Hip Pump

MoneyMaker Hip Pump. Photo: Kickstart

Kickstart developed the MoneyMaker Hip Pump to create a lower cost and lighter weight, portable pump. It debuted in stores in 2006. Sales and marketing efforts began in 2008. The pump is very light (only 4.5 kg or less) and can irrigate an acre. According to Kickstart it has a “super efficient valve box” and a simple pivot hinge

By attaching a “Hand Pump” to a hinged platform, it allows users to use their leg, body weight, and momentum, rather than the small muscles of the upper back and shoulders. The pump can irrigate an acre [4,000 square metres] or more.

Training

To encourage farmers from Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Ghana to adopt better crop management practices, AVRDC started holding training workshops for farmers and communities in December 2009. These workshops focus on explaining irrigation systems, such as the KickStart pump, and better water management.

Mali

In Mali, where AVRDC worked with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to demonstrate technologies, more than 6,000 pumps were sold and 5,000 enterprises were created. Farmers have become actively involved in testing and adapting equipment for their vegetable gardens. Currently, more than 150 women farmers are growing vegetables using affordable micro-irrigation methods, including drip irrigation kits, pedal pumps, and microsprinklers.

Investing in micro-irrigation technologies may seem daunting for small-scale farmers, but the venture has proved to bring a reliable return on investment. Mahmoud Guindo, a farmer in Mali, doubled his annual income selling fruits and vegetables after purchasing the MoneyMaker irrigation pump. In addition to being able to irrigate crops more easily, farmers like Mahmoud can now expand their planting area of high-value crops such as fruits and vegetables and cultivate several crops year-round, yielding a steadier, higher income.

To learn more about ways that irrigation technologies are helping small-scale farmers improve their incomes and livelihoods, see Innovation of the Week: Slow and Steady Irrigation Wins the Race, Getting Water to Crops, and Access to Water Improves Quality of Life for Women and Children.

To learn more about MoneyMaker Irrigation Pumps see Kickstart’s brochure.

Source: Kickstart's brochure on the MoneyMaker Irrigation Pumps

Source: Alex Tung, Nourishing the Planet, 29 Jun 2010

Elephant pumps and Elephant toilets

Zimbabwe – In 1999, when Ian Thorpe was teaching English in rural Zimbabwe, two pupils at his primary school died of dysentery after drinking water from a local well into which a snake had fallen and decomposed. The shocking incident drove Thorpe – with two former teacher colleagues, Tendai Mawunga and Amos Chiungo – to develop an inexpensive (US$400) contamination-proof pump.

Thorpe’s team adapted an ancient Chinese technology that used bamboo for pipes and sisal rope and discs of leather to bring buckets of water from hand-dug wells. The “Elephant Pump” has a concrete casing protecting water from contamination. It is simple enough for a five-year-old to use.

Winning a Development Marketplace grant of US$120,000 in 2006 allowed Thorp’s PumpAid – a U.K.-based international charity – to expand its nascent program beyond a few schools and villages and install 1,000 pumps that benefited 250,000 Zimbabweans.

Development Marketplace funds were also used to create the Elephant Toilet, an innovative, low-cost, low-maintenance approach to sanitation.

Below are links to “Elephant Pump” and “Elephant Toilet” videos:

• Pump Aid – The Elephant Pump
• Pump Aid – Elephant Pump Animation
• Pump Aid – How to Build an Elephant Pump
• Pump Aid’s Elephant Toilet featured on CNN
• Pump Aid and the Elephant Toilet

Source: Sanitation Updates, 11 Jan 2010 (includes a comment with an update on PumpAid’s activities)

What does Africa need more – easy access to fresh water or better cheaper internet connections?

Rory Cellan-Jones, who blogs on technology for the BBC, travels to Mombassa, Kenya to see how a local NGO is using broadband Internet to bring water pumps to farmers. Here are excerpts from his blog entry of 15 September 2009.

The Super MoneyMaker Pump. Photo: KickStart

“My guide was Martin Rogena, a Kenyan working for an organisation called KickStart, which supplies irrigation pumps to farmers across East Africa. Martin is also a big believer in the power of the internet to transform countries like Kenya”.

“We set off [to] a poor suburb of Mombasa [where every shop] seemed to be selling mobile phones or offering to recharge them – and every few yards there was a stand selling fresh water at around 20p a litre”.

“Martin explained that Kickstart was a charity but it didn’t give away the “Moneymaker” pumps it supplies [but was charging] around £50 for a portable pump – far short of the cost of making and supplying them – and they are now in use right across drought-stricken areas of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda”.

“[At a] little settlement [...] about 10 miles from the beach where the Seacom cable bringing broadband to the region comes ashore, [Cellan-Jones met a group of] farmers who [...] had clubbed together to buy a pump. [The farmers supported around 20 people by growing tomatoes,] maize and some other vegetables”.

“These people had very little [and there was no electricity] but nearly all of them had mobile phones. [...] The farmers explained that the phones [...] had made them feel much more connected to the rest of Kenya”.

Martin Rogena of Kickstart on broadband. Photo: BBC

“Outside one of the huts, Martin Rogena got out his laptop, plugged in a broadband dongle [broadband wireless USB adaptor], and went online at a reasonable speed – he was picking up the signal from the nearby mast, which is in turn linked to the fibre-optic cable at the coast. But why, I asked, did a faster internet connection matter to a charity which was trying to alleviate the impact of drought?”.

“He explained that Kickstart collects data from every pump it supplies across the region, sending staff armed with laptops to talk to the farmers and make sure they are getting the right results. From its Nairobi office, It also needs to communicate with donors around the world and with its branch office in Tanzania”.

“The charity is already finding that faster broadband is making communication easier – and is cutting costs, though perhaps not to quite the extent that has been promised”.

“The farmers had never been on the internet – but they too were excited about what it might mean for them. “It will help us find information to help us improve the way we farm.” said one. “We will use it for marketing our crops to other countries outside Kenya,” said another”.

“We headed back into Mombasa, past lines of women carrying water containers on their heads. This country is short of lots of things – water, electricity, books for schools. But there is a great thirst for better connectivity – and who are we to say that they’ve got their priorities wrong?”.

Source: Rory Cellan-Jones, BBC dot.life, 15 Sep 2009