Contractor Drilling with Pounder II

Project Manager Dr Richard Carter, Institute of Water and Environment, Cranfield University at Silsoe.This report contributes to the findings, implications, and future plans of a project, initiated by Cranfield University (Silsoe, UK) entitled “Private Sector Participation in Low Cost Water Well Drilling”.The project was funded by DFID from July 1998 to June 2001, with additional funding partners (Government of Uganda, DANIDA, SIDA, UNICEF, Water Aid, and an anonymous donor) joining at various stages throughout this three-year period

Private Sector Participation in Low Cost Water Well Drilling.

Project Manager Dr Richard Carter, Institute of Water and Environment, Cranfield University at Silsoe.This report contributes to the findings, implications, and future plans of a project, initiated by Cranfield University (Silsoe, UK) entitled “Private Sector Participation in Low Cost Water Well Drilling”.The project was funded by DFID from July 1998 to June 2001, with additional funding partners (Government of Uganda, DANIDA, SIDA, UNICEF, Water Aid, and an anonymous donor) joining at various stages throughout this three-year period

Out of projects and into SWAP: lessons from the Ugandan rural water and sanitation sub-sector

Experience of Sector-wide Approaches (SWAPs) for improving rural water supply and sanitation in Uganda has shown that not all of the “negative” aspects of project are overcome. Despite the difficulties that RWSS has experienced with regards to SWAP, we do not urge Donors or Government to abandon this approach. However, for SWAPs to work, and enable Governments to develop the vision for development of their citizens, a high level of commitment is required among all stakeholders, a long time horizon (more than ten years) is essential. Issues of procurement and accounting procedures, management skills and systems in Government, inadequate remuneration of civil servants, heterogeneity between different parts of the country and the need for targeted support to disadvantaged districts, and donor coordination need to be fully addressed

Monitoring groundwater use as a domestic water source by urban households: Analysis of data from Lagos State, Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa with implications for policy and practice

The fundamental importance of groundwater for urban drinking water supplies in sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly recognised. However, little is known about the trends in urban groundwater development by individual households and its role in securing safely-managed drinking water supplies. Anecdotal evidence indicates a thriving self-supply movement to exploit groundwater in some urban sub-Saharan African settings, but empirical evidence, or analysis of the benefits and drawbacks, remains sparse. Through a detailed analysis of official datasets for Lagos State, Nigeria we examine the crucial role played by groundwater and, specifically, by household self-supply for domestic water provision. We then set this in the context of Nigeria and of sub-Saharan Africa. One of the novelties of this multi-scalar approach is that it provides a granular understanding from large-scale datasets. Our analysis confirms the importance of non-piped water supplies in meeting current and future drinking water demand by households in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the role played, through self-supply, by groundwater. Our results demonstrate inconsistencies between datasets, and we make recommendations for the future. We argue that a key actor in the provision of drinking water supplies, the individual household, is largely overlooked by officially reported data, with implications for both policy and practice

Technology transfer for development : insights from the introduction of low cost water well drilling technology to Uganda

Third World development theory and practice are changing so rapidly that it is important to critically examine the fashions of today before they become history. This thesis considers the development, transfer, early adoption and sustainable use of technology, coupled with private sector participation in rural water supply provision. Improving water supplies for rural communities is one of the key challenges faced by development interventionists today. Lack of low cost, off the shelf technology for local enterprise which can provide affordable shallow wells for rural communities is one barrier to facilitating improvements. This thesis is based on research undertaken in Uganda to develop and transfer low cost water drilling technology in the context of decentralisation and privatisation policies. An extensive range of literature has been drawn together into 16 principles which guide technology transfer and development intervention. These principles are reexamined in the light of analysis of first hand experiences of undertaking a technology transfer project and interviews with stakeholders regarding their attitudes and perceptions. The research found that technology transfer is a cross-disciplinary and cross cultural process in which the linkages between the technology, context, individuals, organisations and beneficiaries need to be firmly established. Ugandan business and local Government culture plays a major role in facilitating successful technology uptake. Dealing with the risks associated with low cost groundwater technology is fundamental for its wider adoption. The process of technology transfer is important, particularly as high levels of stakeholder participation may compromise the delivery of outputs, at least in the short term. In terms of future challenges, this thesis shows that, culture, governance and equity need to be closely examined in relation to private sector participation in rural infrastructure provision. Private sector participation can conflict with community participation. How to adequately support innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa while harmonising development interventions is a challenge to the development community.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Manual Borehole Drilling as a Cost-Effective Solution for Drinking Water Access in Low-Income Contexts

Water access remains a challenge in rural areas of low-income countries. Manual drilling technologies have the potential to enhance water access by providing a low cost drinking water alternative for communities in low and middle income countries. This paper provides an overview of the main successes and challenges experienced by manual boreholes in the last two decades. A review of the existing methods is provided, discussing their advantages and disadvantages and comparing their potential against alternatives such as excavated wells and mechanized boreholes. Manual boreholes are found to be a competitive solution in relatively soft rocks, such as unconsolidated sediments and weathered materials, as well as and in hydrogeological settings characterized by moderately shallow water tables. Ensuring professional workmanship, the development of regulatory frameworks, protection against groundwater pollution and standards for quality assurance rank among the main challenges for the future

Groundwater policy and planning

Groundwater policy defines objectives, ambitions and priorities for managing groundwater resources, for the benefit of society. Planning translates policy into programmes of action. Both are often part of a wider water resource policy and planning framework, but the specific challenges pertaining to groundwater have traditionally received less attention than surface water. The terms ‘policy,’ ‘strategy’ and ‘plans’ are used interchangeably in many countries and contexts

Individual water sourcing: understanding risks and resilience to groundwater resource abstraction in Nigeria

Across much of Africa, domestic water supplies are increasingly dependent on groundwater reserves. As the cost of accessing these reserves fall, expertise becomes more widely available and incomes rise there is a rising trend towards the private commissioning of boreholes and wells. This nascent shift towards a distributed and increasingly individualised water supply may have many implications for the resilience of communities to future environmental shocks, which are, as yet, under-explored. Drawing on the case of Nigeria and new interdisciplinary research, this paper addresses this gap, through a specific focus on understanding the behaviour and choices of individuals and other key stakeholders which underpin this trend. It also seeks to understand the possible implications of this for the resilience of associated social and ecological systems

Eliminating lead exposure from drinking water—A global call to action

Each year, approximately 900,000 people die from exposure to lead [1]. But the full impacts of lead exposure are far more insidious. Lead is a potent neurotoxin that impairs brain function and irreversibly harms children’s cognitive development. Any exposure to lead can be damaging. Recent studies estimate that 800 million children globally (approximately 1 in 3) have blood lead concentrations above 5 micrograms per deciliter and that lead exposure may be responsible for 30% of all intellectual disabilities of unknown origin [2, 3]. Lead exposure increases disease burden, estimated at over 21 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) yearly, primarily due to cardiovascular diseases and mental disorders. This disease burden attributed to lead has increased globally since 1990, because of population growth and aging [4]. Additional research has shown evidence of a direct dose-response relationship between children’s blood lead levels and reductions in IQ which decreases lifetime earnings [5, 6]. This makes lead a public health threat and a key environmental risk factor that exacerbates long-term inequalities affecting especially marginalized groups. Important sources of exposure include batteries, paint, food containers, drinking water systems, and leaded gasoline (now banned in all countries)

Survey of Irrigation of Outdoor Crops in 2001 – Engla

National results have been released from the survey of irrigation of outdoor crops in 2001 in England. This survey was carried out by Cranfield University for Defra, and continues a series of similar surveys since 1982 by MAFF