Expanding preparedness - integrating emergency response with water sector development in the S(P)EEDWater tool

During humanitarian crises, emergency response organizations are confronted with a high level of complexity and dynamically changing priorities. Importance of the selection of water methods is amplified when considered that some of the solutions may support local or regional water sectors beyond the period of relief actions. The S(P)EEDWater decision-support tool attempts to reconcile emergency response goals of water delivery with considerations of water sector development. The tool contains peer-reviewed information on more than seventy water supply methods and their multi-disciplinary assessment according to criteria of (i) disaster/conflict, (ii) natural environment, (iii) technological, (iv) economic and (v) socio-cultural issues. This paper identifies key considerations to expand preparedness already in the post-relief phases of emergency interventions. It describes the approach, structure and set-up of the S(P)EEDWater tool and presents an initial assessment of the approach

Decision-support for arsenic- and salt- mitigation in Bangladesh: the ASTRA approach

Bangladesh faces a growing water crisis. Limitations to safe water access arise from the widespread pathogenic contamination of its surface waters, the severe arsenic contamination of its aquifers and the growing salinity in the country’s coastal regions. Appropriate water supply methods are identified for some of these contexts, it is challenging to select resilient water supply solutions for the low-income, rural areas of Bangladesh. The ASTRA tool is developed to support the identification of potentially appropriate drinking water methods and to aid their implementation in this context. It can be seen as the combination of a multidisciplinary sourcebook and a decision-support instrument. This paper outlines the main mitigation routes as the (i) targeting of contamination-free groundwater, (ii) treatment of arsenic- and salt-contaminated aquifers and (iii) utilization of non-groundwater sources. The paper also describes the tool-inventory and the context factors applied to determine functional ranges of the included water supply methods