Forgot your password?
New user?
Country Experiences
|
Households are investing in their own water source improvements in many countries around the world. RWSN has been giving specific support and follow-up in Ethiopia, Mali, Uganda and Zambia. There are also a number of experiences of self supply in other parts of the world (including Niger and Zimbabwe).
|
|
EthiopiaLow Cost Water Supply for Households
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. |
|
Self Supply in MaliMali is considering the adoption of Self Supply into its rural water supply strategy. Household investment be 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 initia-tive, 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. L’Auto-Approvisionnement au Mali (français) |
|
Niger - Potential for Self SupplyThere is considerable potential for self supply and low cost water supply options in Niger.
|
|
Self Supply in UgandaThe Self Supply pilot project was implemented by two local NGOs (UMURDA and WEDA) over a 16-month period. It resulted in the improvement of 41 water sources, but more importantly it has provided the opportunity for the learning of numerous lessong on how self-supply can be supported. Click here for more information. |
|
Zambia - Accelerating Self SupplyZambia has a very low density rural population, which makes the establishment of sustainable community water supplies a particular challenge. Previous piloting of improvements to traditional water sources showed both a demand for and an impact from low cost up-grading. UNICEF,with RWSN technical support, has been encouraging improvements to water supplies in some of the poorest districts of Luapula Province. Remarkably, these have been achieved with zero subsidy. All hardware costs (labour and materials) are covered by householders; the donor input being only in capacity building through training and marketing. |
|
Zimbabwe: Up-graded family wells
Household-level water supplies. Zimbabwe has over twenty years of experience in promoting family wells and their improvement for domestic and productive use. Over 50,000 such wells have been improved, with families bearing 80% of the costs, and benefiting from a convenient and productive supply. This paper describes the changes in government strategy to incorporate such supplies, and the benefits to users.
If you are interested to learn more about the history of this work, take a look at:
- Peter Morgan (2003) Zimbabwe's Upgraded Family Well Programme, on line resource.
- Morgan, Chimbunde, Mtakwa, Waterkeyn (1996) Now in my backyard — Zimbabwe's upgraded family well programme, Waterlines Volume 14, Number 4, April 1996
- Morgan (2002) Up-graded Family Wells in Zimbabwe: Household Level Water Supplies for Multiple Uses. Field note 6. Blue Gold Series, Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP)
