Accessing handpump spare parts: a study of Northern Malawi

Contrary to the author’s expectations, lack of access to spare parts was not found to be a leading cause of Afridev hand pumps remaining broken in Northern Malawi. This paper presents the findings of a broad study of spare parts access in the region, exploring how rural communities access Afridev spare parts and how the location of those communities affects their ability to do so. Study results find no relationship between the distance from a community to the nearest spare parts retailer and the duration of a pump breakdown, nor that access to spare parts is a key limiter of waterpoint functionality. Findings suggest that community ownership, organization, and willingness to repair a waterpoint are the most significant factors affecting how quickly a pump is repaired. The study also investigates the functionality of the retail supply chain, finding that the private-sector in Malawi is responsive to community spare part needs

Mutual reinforcement: combining project outputs with capacity development outcomes for service delivery

Capacity development of permanent local institutions is needed to improve the sustainability of investments made in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector. To check capacity development intentions, development partners (DPs) can ask the question “What capacities are you developing and why?” This will verify that capacity development is being done with precise objectives, and is aligned with institutional needs and role definitions. DPs can use implementation and capacity development objectives as mutually reinforcing opportunities to support strong project outputs as well as to improve outcomes for service delivery. Two particular techniques for capitalizing on this duality are highlighted: supporting implementers, and supporting reflective learning. Examples of practical combinations of capacity development approaches are presented from the perspective of Engineers Without Borders Canada working in collaboration with other DPs and with district governments in Malawi’s WASH sector

Shock chlorination: the solution to safer water?

The effectiveness of shock chlorination was assessed for reducing faecal contamination of water in hand-pumps, together with the feasibility of local hand pump mechanics performing shock chlorination services. Contaminated source water will directly affect all households accessing it and shock chlorination could be an opportunity for local providers to increase the value of services they offer to communities. Shock chlorination was conducted at 20 sources in Kumi District, Uganda and source samples were tested on the day of treatment and one week after. Despite significant improvement in water quality (p = 0.035), shock chlorination did not consistently improve the quality of the contaminated water to meet the Ugandan standard. The hand pump mechanics were able to provide this treatment at cost levels affordable to communities (2.90 USD/source), but the inconsistent improvements in water quality do not make it worth offering as an ongoing service

Life cycle analysis: assessing the capital and operational expenditure of handpump preventive maintenance

This study aims to quantify the Capital Expense of rehabilitating 47 U2 hand pumps located in Kumi District, Uganda, as well as the ongoing Operational Expense of maintaining them. Results are meant to inform the resources required to reliably maintain hand pump functionality. Three influencing factors were investigated: the average cost of rehabilitation compared to age and depth of water source, the average annual cost of hardware replacement based on the expected lifespan of each pump component, and the actual cost of hardware replaced in the months following rehabilitation. Analysis shows no significant correlation between Capital Expenditure and either source depth or age. An estimate of the Operational component of life cycle cost determined that a U2 hand pump incurs an average annual Operational Expenditure of 469,397 UGX ($126.74), although the actual expenditure may be lower in the period immediately following source rehabilitation

Modelling pump functionality with a Markov process: insights and implications from Malawi

This paper uses recent data on water point functionality from Salima District, Malawi, to predict the expected pump functionality rates using a model known as a Markov process. If the model fits, as the findings suggest, the implication for infrastructure sustainability is that long-term pump functionality rates will only improve if there is an increase in the probability that pumps will be repaired. Examples from Malawi, notably from Nkhotakota District, suggest possible methods for improving this probability of pump repairs through strengthening local stakeholder relationships, which may hold greater potential for improving infrastructure sustainability than the temporary benefits typified by direct project interventions

Enhanced Classification Scheme for STEM online laboratories (2)

This file provides a template Excel spreadsheet for recording classification of online experiments based on scholarship research performed in the eSTEeM project 'An investigation into the breadth of learning objectives developed in STEM online laboratories'</p

Enhanced Classification Scheme for STEM Online laboratories

This file provides a glossary of online laboratory terms developed during the eSTEeM project 'An investigation into the breadth of learning objectives developed in STEM online laboratories'</p