A hidden crisis: unravelling current failures for future success in rural groundwater supply
Lead Research Organisation:
Makerere University
Department Name: Geology
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
Our research project tackles one of the most pressing and under-researched areas within the African water sector: why do so many groundwater based rural water supplies fail within a short space of time, and what steps can be made in designing new water points to increase their sustainability? The ultimate beneficiaries of this research are the rural people within Africa who currently use unreliable shared water points and the estimated 300-400 million people who still have no access to improved water services. Given the high rates of source failure (30-40%), the research has the potential to make a major impact on the sector. Increased sustainability of water supplies will enable the benefits of improved health, nutrition, education opportunities, safety/dignity and livelihood security, to accrue within communities, rather than being repeatedly lost in cycles of supply failure. This is essential for long-term development and will particularly benefit women and children who bear the brunt of water collection.
There are a number of intermediary beneficiaries and direct users of the research who can directly use the new knowledge and techniques (1) multi-lateral agencies and donors with both regional and country-specific 'support' and funding mandates (e.g. WSP, DFID); (2) government ministries, departments and development partners (including NGOs) at national and regional level involved in the design of guidelines and policies; (3)implementing agencies, such as local government, NGOs and private sector actors, that develop and backstop rural water supply infrastructure (e.g. drilling companies); (4) the academic community, who can build on the detailed interdisciplinary research and data generated.
Donors and multinational agencies. The research outcomes will particularly help in mapping trajectories to targets such as the proposed new Sustainable Development Goals. Our research with more nuanced definitions of functional water points and the forecasting of future functionality under various scenarios will be of particular benefit.
Government Departments and national NGOs. This group set national policy and standards and mechanisms for monitoring. The research outcomes will help define the combination of factors that lead to water source failure, or success, and also propose a strategy for increasing the potential for rural water supply service to remain functional. This group will be engaged in the project from the outset by the strong links WaterAid and our Africa academic partners have with national government and regional stakeholders (e.g. AMCOW; Ethiopia's Water Sector Advisory Group). A wider international community of government, NGO and water industry stakeholders will be engaged through forums such as World Water Week.
Local government, NGOs and Practitioners. These are the people that actually commission, site and drill boreholes, install handpumps, mobilise communities and set up water user groups. The research will equip this group with investigative techniques, and knowledge of which factors are critical in different areas to long term sustainability. This group will take part in the country research programmes, and we will publish a comprehensive manual targeted at this group and online resources.
Research community: There is currently no comprehensive interdisciplinary dataset providing a post construction audit of rural water supplies. The research will deliver an innovative research methodology, and dataset, relating to functionality, governance, institutional functioning and groundwater resources. The research will be disseminated to international community through several, potentially benchmark, papers in high impact journals, and international conferences providing cutting edge of thinking about hybrid governance and critical institutionalism, and understanding of African groundwater. Long-term open access to the new dataset will enable future comparative and longitudinal work.
There are a number of intermediary beneficiaries and direct users of the research who can directly use the new knowledge and techniques (1) multi-lateral agencies and donors with both regional and country-specific 'support' and funding mandates (e.g. WSP, DFID); (2) government ministries, departments and development partners (including NGOs) at national and regional level involved in the design of guidelines and policies; (3)implementing agencies, such as local government, NGOs and private sector actors, that develop and backstop rural water supply infrastructure (e.g. drilling companies); (4) the academic community, who can build on the detailed interdisciplinary research and data generated.
Donors and multinational agencies. The research outcomes will particularly help in mapping trajectories to targets such as the proposed new Sustainable Development Goals. Our research with more nuanced definitions of functional water points and the forecasting of future functionality under various scenarios will be of particular benefit.
Government Departments and national NGOs. This group set national policy and standards and mechanisms for monitoring. The research outcomes will help define the combination of factors that lead to water source failure, or success, and also propose a strategy for increasing the potential for rural water supply service to remain functional. This group will be engaged in the project from the outset by the strong links WaterAid and our Africa academic partners have with national government and regional stakeholders (e.g. AMCOW; Ethiopia's Water Sector Advisory Group). A wider international community of government, NGO and water industry stakeholders will be engaged through forums such as World Water Week.
Local government, NGOs and Practitioners. These are the people that actually commission, site and drill boreholes, install handpumps, mobilise communities and set up water user groups. The research will equip this group with investigative techniques, and knowledge of which factors are critical in different areas to long term sustainability. This group will take part in the country research programmes, and we will publish a comprehensive manual targeted at this group and online resources.
Research community: There is currently no comprehensive interdisciplinary dataset providing a post construction audit of rural water supplies. The research will deliver an innovative research methodology, and dataset, relating to functionality, governance, institutional functioning and groundwater resources. The research will be disseminated to international community through several, potentially benchmark, papers in high impact journals, and international conferences providing cutting edge of thinking about hybrid governance and critical institutionalism, and understanding of African groundwater. Long-term open access to the new dataset will enable future comparative and longitudinal work.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Michael Owor (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Sorensen JPR
(2020)
Tryptophan-like and humic-like fluorophores are extracellular in groundwater: implications as real-time faecal indicators.
in Scientific reports
Owor M
(2021)
Hydrogeochemical processes in groundwater in Uganda: a national-scale analysis
in Journal of African Earth Sciences
Lapworth D
(2020)
Drinking water quality from rural handpump-boreholes in Africa
in Environmental Research Letters
Cuthbert MO
(2019)
Observed controls on resilience of groundwater to climate variability in sub-Saharan Africa.
in Nature
Banks E
(2021)
Environmental tracers to evaluate groundwater residence times and water quality risk in shallow unconfined aquifers in sub Saharan Africa
in Journal of Hydrology
Description | Based on the evidence collected, the main physical factors affecting functionality performance within Uganda are the poor condition of handpump components, and the complex aquifer resource. The impact of these factors can be mitigated through appropriate material choice for handpump components (non GI), appropriate handpump borehole construction, and adequate accessibility to repairs and maintenance capacity with breakdowns. These factors should not be considered to be the only driving forces of functionality outcomes in these regions of Uganda, however, and the results of this survey need to be examined alongside the wider project findings. Wider institutional arrangements, resources and dynamics, are likely to play a significant role in the implementation of appropriate borehole construction, siting and design; procurement processes; and the management capacity available for water points at national to local levels. |
Exploitation Route | The new evidence and insight has led directly to the development of new national policies and practice, aimed at improving the performance and functionality of HPBs: • Directly led to two new National Government Directives (Uganda, 2017 and 2018) - against the use of corrosive materials (galvanised iron pipes) in borehole installation. This has led to the visible impact of seeing warehouses now fully stocked with stainless and UPVC hand pump materials, rather than GI materials. • Informing a new national Groundwater Policy (Ethiopia 2019) - HC research informing the 'baseline assessment' of the policy and research for future options • Informing National Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy Review (Malawi 2019) • Informing regional Sector Investment plans, for increased sustainability of WASH services (Malawi 2019) • Influenced new national government contracts (Uganda 2019) which are funding more detailed groundwater resource mapping to inform future groundwater development • Inclusion of findings within new UNICEF Drilling Professionalisation Guideline document (2019) - highlighting importance of material choice and siting for adequate HPB performance. • Approach to measuring functionality endorsed by national policy (Malawi 2019, Joint Sector Review) |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Environment Government Democracy and Justice |
Description | The new evidence and insight has led directly to the development of new national policies and practice, aimed at improving the performance and functionality of HPBs: • Directly led to two new National Government Directives (Uganda, 2017 and 2018) - against the use of corrosive materials (galvanised iron pipes) in borehole installation. This has led to the visible impact of seeing warehouses now fully stocked with stainless and UPVC hand pump materials, rather than GI materials. • Informing a new national Groundwater Policy (Ethiopia 2019) - HC research informing the 'baseline assessment' of the policy and research for future options • Informing National Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy Review (Malawi 2019) • Informing regional Sector Investment plans, for increased sustainability of WASH services (Malawi 2019) • Influenced new national government contracts (Uganda 2019) which are funding more detailed groundwater resource mapping to inform future groundwater development • Inclusion of findings within new UNICEF Drilling Professionalisation Guideline document (2019) - highlighting importance of material choice and siting for adequate HPB performance. • Approach to measuring functionality endorsed by national policy (Malawi 2019, Joint Sector Review) |
First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
Impact Types | Policy & public services |
Description | Annual Technical Review meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Annual Technical Review meetin of the Ministry of Water and Environment |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | District Water Officers (DWO) Forum |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Briefing reports and leaflets presented to District Water Officers (DWO) forum. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Joint Sector Review |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Briefing reports and leaflets presented to Joint Sector Review meeting |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Ministry of Water and Environment presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presentation of UPGro Hidden Crisis Survey 1 findings and briefing reports and leaflets to the ministry event involving wide spectrum of policy areas (health, water, planning, farming). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Presentation of research results (Survey 1) to National Ministry of Water and Environment, Uganda Government |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Present survey 1 findings on hand-pumped borehole functionality for discussions and uptake by national policy makers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Presentation of research results (Survey 1) to WEDC conference, Kenya |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was part of the 41st WEDC International Conference with a theme on Transformation towards sustainable and resilient WASH services. It was Co-hosted with Egerton University in Nakuru, Kenya from 9 to 13 July, 2018. The conference involved 3 days of presentation and discussion of peer reviewed content, and 2 days of tailored capacity development workshops. It was useful, both for networking and learning, and for sharing experiences with a key Impact being follow on engagements which was sought. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |