Sustainability factors for water points in Liberia

As part of a WaSH Consortium in Liberia, Action contre la Faim carried out an exhaustive survey of water points in three counties of Liberia. Besides serving as a baseline of information in postwar Liberia, and thus filling a gap of information, the results of the survey highlight the link between the creation of communitybased operation and maintenance systems, including access to spare parts for hand pumps, and the sustainability of the water points. The difference amongst counties is significant, and the water coverage could be improved through improving these sustainability mechanisms, and choosing the appropriate mechanism according to the village and town size, and cohesion of the community. Stakeholders have a clear responsibility in constructing technically sustainable water points, but also ensuring the operation and maintenance systems are in place. The survey shows that the improvement of sustainability mechanisms on already existing infrastructure could provide drinking water for 234,000 people

Water and sanitation assistance for Kabul: a lot for the happy few?

Kabul water and environmental sanitation services have been affected by war, which ravaged large portions of the city in the early 1990’s. After the fall of the Taliban in 2002, a considerable influx of returnees contributed to put an ever greater stress on already deficient systems. Large-scale water supply projects were initiated. However, they tackle only areas covered by water networks, leaving behind an estimated 60% of the population who live in ‘unplanned areas’. In order to address the needs of these ‘left-behind’ populations, organisations such as ‘Action Contre la Faim’ have designed programmes specifically for them. They intend to maximize the benefit of water and environmental sanitation by relying on affordable community-maintained systems, until access to centralized services is gained