AfricaWaterBank.org

Clean water – but too late for five children.

Yesterday I received an email from a friend who lives in a village about ten kilometers from Ngoswani in south western Kenya. He told me of a serious outbreak of diarrheal disease in his area which had resulted in the deaths of five children in the past week. One of the children was his daughter. She was eighteen months old.

My friend has been working with the Africa Water Bank over the last twelve months to develop a clean water point for his village. He is a school teacher and had returned to his home after training to give something back to his community. He understood the importance of clean water and the need to manage it properly. He had helped set up a local water management committee – organized for two young people to be trained as water point managers – organized a hydro-geological survey which had identified a suitable site for drilling – and helped raise 25% of the monies required to develop the borehole and install a hand-pump. The water management committee had decided they would charge a small fee for water so the borehole could be properly maintained and the managers could be paid a small honorarium. They made arrangements for the borehole site to be fenced – for trees to be planted around the site – and for a trough for animals to be constructed outside of the fence. The borehole was to be constructed in April.

Everything possible had been done to ensure the borehole would succeed – but it was still too late for my friend’s daughter and four other children.

1.5 million children die each year from diarrheal diseases – mainly from drinking contaminated water. They die quietly, usually in remote locations and with only their families to mourn them. It does not have to be. The provision of clean drinking water to everyone in Africa is completely achievable.

“The provision of clean water in Africa will save more lives than any other intervention.”

If anywhere typifies where Africa and the Arab worlds meet it is Abyei in Sudan — it is a complex tapestry of ethnicities, cultures and religions where Arabs, Africans, Christians, Animists and Muslims live side by side. It is also a possible flash point for any conflict that occurs when the time comes to demarcate the border between north and south Sudan – because it sits right on the likely border.

Reports suggest that as many as 95% of people who voted in the just completed referendum supported the southern third of Sudan forming its own independent nation in July.

As the seemingly unstoppable march towards the division of Sudan into two countries proceeds – issues such as where to locate the border – how to share the oil – how to apportion the land that surrounds that border and most importantly who will control the water – need to be resolved. North and south Sudan fought one of Africa’s most protracted civil wars over these same things – resulting in the deaths of more than 2 million people.

Despite much speculation that it will be the struggle to control oil which will determine whether the division of Sudan will be peaceful or not – it is access to water that may be the real issue. People can live without oil but they cannot live without water.

Everyone in Abyei relies on water from what the Dinka’s of the south refer to as the Kirr River and what the Misseriya of the north call Bahr al-Arab, or River of Arabs. How the control of this river and the water it provides is resolved may determine whether a peaceful division of the Sudan occurs in July.

————————————–

The Africa Water Bank develops new water points in the Sudan and is currently working with different groups in the Abyei region to find ways water security can be maintained following the division of north and south Sudan. The provision of clean, safe water in Africa will save more lives than any other intervention.

Approximately 480 million people in Africa live without access to safe water supplies, most in areas that could be appropriately supplied with water from hand-pumped boreholes. The African Water Bank contends that the current cost of drilled boreholes in Africa can be halved by relaxing borehole specifications in favour of smaller diameter bores drilled by more manoeuvrable, lower cost equipment.

Groundwater is generally a readily available source of water throughout Africa. However, high borehole construction costs are slowing progress on increased access. Higher costs are largely a result of using drilling equipment with specifications that are greater than those required for the vast majority of boreholes needed in Africa.

Using high cost machinery and support equipment leads to high borehole costs, which in turn results in fewer boreholes being drilled. The smaller volume of work per drilling rig creates inefficiencies in equipment usage, and results in increased overheads, driving up costs dramatically.

The average cost of drilling a borehole can be reduced from US$8,000 to US$4,000. These sizable cost reductions have the potential to contribute to Africa’s attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for water supply and sanitation and dramatically improve the lives of millions of rural Africans.

The African Water Bank is currently working with in – country water resource management experts and bodies to:

• Review and revise outdated national standards (and legislation) that favour conservative borehole designs

• Develop an effective small business sector, made up of African drilling contractors, based in rural areas and spread amongst the communities they are required to serve

• Promote new, appropriate drilling technologies

• Provide continuity of work for local businesses.

The African Water Bank is committed to driving all of these reforms and implementing a water point development program at the same time.

I have come to the conclusion after nearly 40 years of working in international community development that four key things need to be in place before any overall development progress can be made – access to a clean water supply, good sanitation (toilets or latrines), food security and social stability (absence of conflict and political instability).

At the end of 2010 it would appear that Africa is assuming an all too recognizable bleakness – in a political sense at least. Christmas in Nigeria saw clashes breaking out between armed Christian and Muslim groups near the central city of Jos – in Zimbabwe there were signs that President Robert Mugabe is planning to seize complete control during the elections he wants next year – whilst in the Ivory Coast despite international sanctions and financial pressures being announced almost daily, Laurent Gbagbo, appears determined to stay on as president despite losing the country’s national election.

So what is the good news? For the first time in more than 50 years more Africans have access to clean water than not – the percentage of Africans without access to a toilet has dropped – the number of Africans in need of food support is decreasing – and a significant group of West African presidents – supported by other African nations have resolved not to accept Gbagbo’s position of clinging to power despite losing the election.

These are all seemingly small steps in what is going to be a long journey – but they are
steps in the right direction – which need our ongoing support.

————————————————————————————————-

The Africa Water Bank will continue to assist those Africans who do not have access to clean water develop clean water points in 2011.

The provision of clean water will save more lives than any other intervention

‘Providing people in Africa with clean water will save more lives than any other intervention’

Assisting an African community or school to develop a new water point is easy. Making sure that it continues to work successfully is more difficult. Unfortunately about 50% of water points in Africa developed by well meaning donors break down within 12-18 months.

The Africa Water Bank has developed some simple but essential steps which greatly increase the long term chance of success.

Community Ownership: the community needs to own the project and be closely involved from the outset. An elected committee – of men and women – is needed to manage each stage of the project and to ensure that community members are trained in the management and maintenance of the water point. The committee can organize community contributions such as cash, labor or materials – in this way the project becomes theirs. A small user’s fee to pay for ongoing maintenance needs to be negotiated. All water points require maintenance.

Survey and Placement: Careful survey and placement of the water point reduces the risk of it going dry, poor flow rates, or being misused.

The Right Technology: ensure the community has knowledge, experience and training in use of any equipment associated with the water point.

Fencing and Security: water points need to be fenced to protect them from damage and abuse. Free access to a water point will soon denude the surrounding area causing erosion, collapse or the water point going dry. Animals are attracted to a water point exacerbating erosion and creating the risk of equipment being damaged. Fencing, security and tree planting mean that all of these issues can be avoided.

Deforestation: harvesting of firewood around a water point needs to be carefully managed as it can alter the ground water and salinity levels. Animal troughs and taps should be placed away from the water point.

Taking these simple steps means that a water point developed by the African Water Bank is not likely to break down. Next week The Silent African Killer

‘Providing people in Africa with clean water will save more lives than any other intervention’.

It is cruelly ironic that in a continent which has no shortage of water that 450 million people cannot get a glassful of clean water to drink.  The Africa Water Bank has been set up to do something about it. It was established for four reasons.

Firstly, to save lives – the provision of clean water will save more lives in Africa than any other intervention.

Secondly, to speed up the development of new water points and the repair of broken ones – this is key in a continent where nearly half the population does not have access to a safe, clean water supply.

Thirdly, to bring together key people and organizations with the expertise, experience and know how to develop successful water points.

And finally, to provide an opportunity for young people from all over the world to really make a difference by taking up an achievable water challenge in partnership with a community, a school or a district in Africa in need of clean safe water – and to have a good time and a rewarding time doing it.

More children in Africa die each year from diarrheal diseases – due mainly to contaminated water – than from HIV/AIDS and malaria combined. The development of a new water point to supply 250 people with clean water costs an average of just $7,500.

It beggars belief that half of the people in Africa still do not have access to clean, safe water – especially considering there is no real shortage of water in most of Africa and the cost of providing it is relatively low.

Development is simply not possible without water – yet all too frequently other interventions are given priority – usually against the advice of people on the ground. Without clean, safe water schools cannot exist – teachers in Africa simply will not go to schools without a safe water supply – health clinics cannot function – and food growing and other economic programs fail. Water is life and it is well past the time we recognized it.

The Africa Water Bank was established to do something about this. If you really do want to make a difference in Africa you should not go past what this organization is doing.

Next week – The Four Key Cornerstones for Development in Africa.

‘Providing people in Africa   with clean water will save more lives than any other intervention’.

The Africa Water Bank is an international not for profit organization committed to the provision of water to the millions of people in Africa who do not have access to a safe water supply or water point.

Through the development of boreholes, wells, roof and ground rainwater collection systems, water filtration-purification and the repair of broken water points the Africa Water Bank’s objective is to bring clean water to all Africans in need of a safe, reliable source of water.

We work in partnership with Africans and African organizations with many years of experience in the provision of clean water. These partnerships are critical to the Africa Water Bank being able to develop the most effective and sustainable water points – capable of being managed and operated by those communities which need them.

Why water?

Water is life. Without access to clean safe water life is very difficult and often impossible. One billion people in the world do not have access to a reliable and safe water supply. Nearly one half of these people live in Africa. A lack of access to a reliable and safe water supply combined with poor sanitation is the major impediment to development in Africa

The provision of clean water will save more lives than any other intervention. More people in Africa – and they are mainly children – die each year from diarrheal diseases – most commonly caused by contaminated water – than from malaria and HIV/AIDS combined.

An investment in clean water is the most effective investment in development you can make. Each single dollar invested in clean water development returns between ten and eleven dollars in community benefits within one year.

Many diseases in Africa thrive simply because people do not have access to clean water – most of these diseases disappear or are significantly reduced and controlled with the provision of a clean water point. Contact us to find out how you can help.