Making the case for improved planning, construction and testing of water supply infrastructure in Malawi

Detailed surveys of poorly functioning rural water supply points (boreholes fitted with handpumps) in the Southern Region of Malawi show that poor functionality is most commonly caused by a) poor water resource (quantity and quality) and b) sub-standard borehole construction. Only 24% of surveyed water points showed problems caused by poor handpump operation, maintenance and management. The majority of problems observed are caused by sub-standard construction of water points prior to commissioning for use, and are typically permanent and irremediable. These issues are contributing to excessive service delivery costs through a) extended down times, b) disproportionate maintenance requirements and c) abandoned infrastructure; the resulting burden precipitates the failure of community based management approaches. This burden could be dramatically reduced by ensuring water points are proven to comply with Malawian Government standards, prior to commissioning for use. Water points not meeting these standards must not be commissioned for use

Geogenic Fluoride Risk in Groundwater (Map)

Map, Geogenic Fluoride Risk in Groundwate

UPGro Hidden Crisis Research Consortium. Survey 1 Country Report, Malawi

Statistics on the functionality of water points from the Hidden Crisis project in Malawi are presented. The survey, undertaken in 2016, was focussed on boreholes equipped with handpumps (HPBs) within sedimentary and basement rock in Malawi across 5 districts. A stratified two-stage sampling strategy was adopted, and a tiered definition of functionality developed which enabled more nuanced definitions to be reported. The results from the survey indicate: • 74% of HPBs were working on the day of the survey (similar to national statistics) • 67% of HPBs passed the design yield of 10 litres per minute • 58% passed the design yield and also experienced < 1 month downtime within a year. • 41% of HPB’s passed the design yield and reliability and also passed WHO standards of water quality indicators (TTCs and inorganic chemistry). These figures provide a more detailed examination/understanding of the national functionality figures (MoWDI 2012 ). Both approaches show, that at any one point in time approximately 74% of HPBs in Malawi are working. The results from the more detailed Hidden Crisis survey across a sub-sample of HPBs across Malawi, indicate that 42% of the working HPB’s do not provide sufficient yield or reliability. This highlights the utility of carrying out more detailed assessments of functionality to help unpack national statistics. A linked survey of the performance of the water management arrangements at water points showed that for 86% of the survey sites water management arrangements were judged to be functional or highly functional

Three Aquifer Groups of Malawi (Map)

Map, Three Aquifer Groups of Malaw

Unconsolidated Sediments Overlying Weathered Basement (Map)

Map, Unconsolidated Sediments Overlying Weathered Basemen

Basement Geology and Consolidated Sedimentary Rock (Map)

Map, Basement Geology and Consolidated Sedimentary Roc

Base Flow Index of Malawi (Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions) (Map)

Map, Base Flow Index of Malawi (Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions

Geogenic Arsenic Risk in Groundwater (Map)

Map, Geogenic Arsenic Risk in Groundwate

Understanding the functionality and burden on decentralised rural water supply : influence of millennium development goal 7c coverage targets

The sustainability of rural groundwater supply infrastructure, primarily boreholes fitted with hand pumps, remains a challenge. This study evaluates whether coverage targets set out within the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) inadvertently increased the challenge to sustainably manage water supply infrastructure. Furthermore, the drive towards decentralised service delivery contributes to the financial burden of water supply assets. A sample size of 14,943 Afridev hand pump boreholes was extracted from a comprehensive live data set of 68,984 water points across Malawi to investigate the sustainability burden as emphasis shifts to the 2030 agenda. The results demonstrate that the push for coverage within the MDG era has impacted the sustainability of assets. A lack of proactive approaches towards major repairs and sub-standard borehole construction alongside aging infrastructure contributes to reduced functionality of decentralised supplies. Furthermore, costly rehabilitation is required to bring assets to operational standards, in which external support is commonly relied upon. Acceleration towards the coverage targets has contributed towards unsustainable infrastructure that has further implications moving forward. These findings support the need for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) investment planning to move from a focus on coverage targets to a focus on quality infrastructure and proactive monitoring approaches to reduce the future burden placed on communities

Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality Atlas of Malawi : Water Resource Area 1: The Upper Shire Catchment

Groundwater in Water Resource Area 1 Upper Shire Basin is interpreted within the same context as presented in the Hydrogeology and Water Quality Atlas Bulletin publication. A general description of the Hydrogeology of Malawi and its various units is provided here to remind the reader of the complexity of groundwater in Malawi and its nomenclature. The various basement geologic units have variable mineralogy, chemistry, and structural history that may be locally important for water quality parameters such as Fluoride, Arsenic and geochemical evolution. Therefore, translation of geologic units to potential hydrostratigraphic units was based on the 1:250,000-scale Geological Map of Malawi compiled by the Geological Survey Department of Malawi (Canon, 1978). Geological units were grouped into three main aquifer groups for simplicity