Steps for creating water solutions that will last

BELFAST, Northern Ireland — With the onset of COVID-19, many governments in lower-income countries have recognized the urgency of providing water as a first line of defense against infectious diseases. But as many governments work quickly to boost the availability of water supplies, some water and sanitation advocates worry that these efforts will provide only short-term solutions. “We want to ensure that the momentum from the coronavirus is being taken forward and not all wasted,” explained Rosemary Campbell, head of water at Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor, a nonprofit that helps transform cities’ access to water and sanitation. An example of a short-term solution would be creating a supply of water through a borehole, Campbell said. A more sustainable approach would mean creating multiple boreholes linked to one major supply, like a river, to create a whole water network. “In the short-term, you get a lot of new connections in place and provide a lot of people [with water], but in the long-term, by linking it all up, it is maintained for prosperity,” she explained. Currently, 3 in 10 people lack access to safe, readily available water at home. But while the world waits for a vaccine, water and soap are among the most critical tools in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Rachael McDonnell, strategic program director of water, climate change, and resilience at the International Water Management Institute, said emergency measures to improve water access have to be taken, but they also need to be thought through for lasting impact. Devex asked experts which steps can help create sustainable water access for all. 1. Generate local buy-in Communities should be asked what it is they want and what they’re willing to contribute in order to achieve it, said Edd Wright, Southeast Asia regional director at World Neighbors. Getting community buy-in to a water solution, be it a well, pump, or water ATM, can determine its longevity and effectiveness in a location. “In our project, we sat down with all the communities and asked them to design their own rural water system. We then asked if they would be willing to pay 25% of the cost of this. In some communities, it was a long process, but in the end, all were willing and paid. This massively increases their sense of ownership over the project,” Wright said. Communities also need to be independently responsible for maintaining their own water resources, without the need for external assistance, he added. But involvement shouldn’t be limited to the village government, or the village water committee, Wright told Devex. “This will mean that only a small percentage of a village will feel responsible for the water system.” In certain projects, World Neighbors only hold community meetings if at least 75% of households are represented. “This can be quite laborious, especially when field staff travel hours to a community and have to cancel the meeting because not enough people showed up. But it pays off in the long-term, as the whole village has a stake in the success of the project,” Wright explained. 2. Work with what’s available in the environment Newsha Ajami, a director of urban water policy at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, said that when looking to implement a water access solution, it is important to work with nature in a way that doesn’t abuse resources. Using renewable sources of energy, such as solar power to operate water pumps, makes the water source more viable for the long-term and ensures an element of climate resilience. Wright added that it is important to not only focus on the water system but the source itself. “This is done by protecting and conserving the surrounding lands, in order to increase rainwater absorption and reduce runoff,” he said. Materials and equipment needed for the operation and implementation of a water source should also be easily sourced by the communities themselves, Wright said. For example, the Warka Water Tower uses local materials like bamboo to collect rainwater, condensation, and fog before filtering and supplying water to villagers in Ethiopia and Cameroon. 3. Think beyond initial implementation For organizations and governments looking to improve water access, they need to think about more than the initial implementation of a water access point. The supply’s longevity is dependent on the presence of soft infrastructure, Ajami said, such as data, decision-support tools, and the right institutions to manage the water resources. While many places have good water laws and rights in place, oftentimes, water governance is weak and these are not implemented, McDonnell noted. For example, when it comes to utilities, regulation is often overlooked despite being a crucial part of incentivizing utilities to provide water to the poorest segments of society, according to WSUP. “It’s about building a relationship with the utility, regulators, and government. Particularly with utilities, if you can work with them, build confidence, and get them to do things themselves, it starts building that momentum such that it becomes a sustainable working sector,” Campbell said. This is starting to happen in Kenya with the introduction of a metric that utilities must report to the regulator, showing how well it is serving low-income areas. Still, as much as possible, Wright advised organizations to “work with the grain” rather than imposing new governance structures or groups. “Work with the individuals or groups who on a day-to-day basis already carry out the function of managing the community water system, however rudimentary it may be,” he said. 4. Consider what the water will be used for Overirrigation and water leaks generate water waste. Ajami said sources can be more sustainable if people opt to use the same water for multiple purposes. This reduces the amount of water being used and potentially wasted. “Treated wastewater is something that is very underutilized and can be used for growing crops or managing groundwater, leaving freshwater for human consumption,” McDonnell said. To ensure the best and most effective use of water, McDonnell advised considering not only the amount of water available and population size, but what crops are being grown and what produce is most suited to the community needs. For example, watermelons consume a lot of water but only yield a small price when sold at a market so may not be the best crop of choice for an area with limited water, she said. “You can’t just manage water for agriculture, tourism, industry, or domestic consumption, it has to be managed across all of the different water sources,” she explained.