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Field Notes
2010
Accelerating Self Supply – A Case Study from Uganda
The Ministry of Water and Environment and numerous Non-Government Organisations in Uganda have several years of experience in the promotion of rainwater harvesting for domestic use as well as the piloting of household-led improvements to hand-dug wells. It is becoming clear that many households are able and willing to invest in making improvements to their own water supplies. RWSN has just published a field note which documents the story of promoting such investments in Uganda from the late 1990s to 2010 and sets key issues as the country develops a Guiding Framework for Accelerating Access to Safe and Reliable Water through Self Supply in Uganda. These issues include the development of clear guidelines, training of the private sector, and links to planning and financial mechanisms.
Accelerating Self Supply - A Case Study from Ethiopia
With 40 million or more rural people without access to safe water, Ethiopia is faced with a major challenge to reach the Univer-sal Access Plan targets (98% coverage by 2012) or even the MDG target (52% coverage by 2015). At the same time there have already been mass campaigns to encourage household investment in rainwater harvesting for irrigation and well-digging. As a result, the government is keen to adopt the concepts of low-cost solutions and Self Supply and is exploring the best ways to do so. This field note documents the experiences in Ethiopia
Accelerating Self Supply - A Case Study from Zambia
Accelerating Self Supply - A Case Study from Mali
Self Supply is an approach whereby households are supported to make their own investments in water supplies. Mali is one of four countries considering the adoption of Self Supply into its rural water supply strategy. This follows moves by the Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) to highlight the potential that household investment may have as an option for increasing the rate of water supply improvements in a country with over 200,000 unlined traditional wells. This represents one for every five households. Initially it is the health sector taking the initiative, as they recognise the numbers of people using these wells and the potential impact of progressive health risk reduction. Protection from contamination is accompanied by promotion of the productive use of water to repay investment.
2008
This field note provides the reader with an introduction to self-supply. Self Supply is the improvement to house-hold or community water supply through user investment in water treatment, supply construction and up-grading, and rainwater harvesting. It is based on incremental improve-ments in steps which are easily replicable, with technologies affordable to users. This self-help approach is complementary to conventional communal supply, which is generally government-funded and which forms the backbone of rural water supply.
2005
Investigating Options for Self-help Water
This field note outlines the findings of an investigation into experiences of self-help water supply improvements in Uganda. It makes recommendations on how water supply professionals can best engage with communities to achieve sustainable supplies, briefly describing a recently-started pilot project supporting self-supply.
Click here to download (English version)
Click here to download (French version).
2004
Self Supply: A Fresh Approach to Water for Rural Populations
This field note shows that Self supply is a demand-driven approach, built on the widespread desire of rural households to invest in water solutions that directly benefit small groups or families. Research in Zambia has found widespread grassroots demand for small-scale water supply improvements, and has subsequently developed models by which communities could improve the quality of their supplies.
Conference Papers
2009
Integrating a new approach - the example of self supply by Sally Sutton
In the present climate of DRA and budget support, it is getting increasingly difficult to introduce new ideas. The temptation is to continue with ‘business as usual’, with little room for questioning its sustainability and effectiveness or exploring new approaches. The development of Self Supply is something which has happened naturally in many parts of the world. However it has been slow to take off in Africa, even though standard community-based approaches are evidently not able to provide a strategy to fulfil rural water supply MDG targets for most countries by 2015. This paper looks at the process whereby Self Supply is becoming established, and how far this has progressed, in integrating a grass roots level demand into national strategies.
2008
The risks of a technology-based MDG indicator for rural water supply by Sally Sutton
The MDG indicator for access to safe water equates technology with water quality based largely on designed rather than observed capacity to block routes of faecal contamination. This is a useful driver for donor and government investment in rural water supply, but breeds donor dependency as generally accepted technologies are unaffordable to consumers.
Key Studies and Research
Sutton S (2004) Potential for Self Supply in sub-Saharan Africa
This desk study outlines the characteristics of Self Supply and the indicators from national statistics both for potential and existing household and small group supplies. It looks in slightly more detail at five countries, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.
Sutton S (2009) Progress Report on Self Supply/Risk Reduction in Mali
This report summarises progress up to April 2009 with respect to the risk reduction/self supply approach being followed in Mali to encourage households to improve their water supplies.
Sutton S (2006) Potential for Self Supply and Low Cost Water Supply Options in Niger
This report examines the potential for self supply and low cost water supply options in Niger.
