Sep 2023 – Rural Water Supply Network

The role of galvanized pipes in the corrosion and failure of hand pumps

Stop the Rot during ZAWAFE 2023 Zambia – 4/4

This blog is part of a four-part series covering the presentations given at the 11th Zambia Water Forum and Exhibition. The event, themed “Accelerating Water Security and Sanitation Investments in Zambia: Towards Agenda 2023 through the Zambia Water Investment Programme”, lasted three days.

Our blog series takes a focused look at the presentations and discussions that revolved around “Addressing Rapid Hand Pump Corrosion in Zambia – Stop the Rot!”, which was co-convened by UNICEF and WaterAid, together with Ask for Water GmbH and the RWSN, hosted by Skat Foundation.

Cover photo: Red, iron-rich water being pumped. Photo: WaterAid Uganda

Second session:

The role of galvanized pipes in the corrosion and failure of hand pumps

Empowered Communities Helping Others (ECHO) has been implementing a safe water project since 2020. This is a Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project, whose main intervention is borehole rehabilitation which is implemented in rural parts of Zambia’s Western and Central Provinces, in collaboration with the Local Authority. In practice, the need to rehabilitate a borehole arises when a functioning borehole presents usage problems such as non-production of water, worn out parts such as pipes, rods, handles, chains, cylinders, water chambers, pedestal, head assembly, bearings, etc.

Since 2020, ECHO has rehabilitated a total of about 850 boreholes in Central and Western Zambia, benefiting a total of about 255,000 people.

It was found that rehabilitating a borehole can be more economical than constructing a new one. It is simpler and faster and can be an appropriate solution in an emergency because it doesn’t require things like mobilizing a drilling rig. However, if the rehabilitated borehole is to be used for a long time, it is important to estimate its life expectancy.

The rehabilitation option chosen depends on the conditions of the existing borehole, the causes of the damage, the technical and logistic options, and the existing alternatives such as the construction of a new water point.

According to the severity of the borehole problems, the work requirements may vary from a simple repair at the surface to re-equipment.

For the project, all GI pipes are replaced with new PVC ones. This is done in order to prevent and reduce iron contamination (as a result of corrosion) which from the past four years we have observed is a contributing factor to borehole failure and abandonment

The main observed sources of iron are:

▪ From natural sources in the aquifer

▪ From pump components such as steel casings and galvanized pipes.

▪ In other instances, a combination of both has been observed to be possible. ▪ Within 3 to 6 months of installing hand pumps with galvanized material, pipes and rods have been found to be heavily corroded.

▪ When corrosion is the main source of iron, iron concentrations reduce drastically when water is pumped out and fresh recharge is allowed. If iron concentrations remain high throughout during continued pumping, the case has been that it is likely the iron is coming from the aquifer.

Experiences on hand pump corrosion

Hand pumps with GI pipes, sometimes only a year or two old have corroded, and people have returned to unprotected water sources. Water with pH below 6 has been observed to have corroded pipes. High iron concentrations in handpumps have been a usual occurrence this has been observed through regular water quality testing and evaluating the change in iron concentration over the period of our operations. Stainless steel pipes and rods had corrosion rates lower than galvanized iron (GI) pipes and rods.

Experiences on hand pump corrosion

The brown or reddish color is observed in the morning when the pumps had not been used during the night

However, groundwater has been observed to hold significant concentrations of iron but appears clear and colorless. When this water is pumped out after being exposed to the atmosphere, the color changes to red/brown.

Figure 3: Sampled on Friday 2nd June 2023 in Central Province.

General complaints recorded from communities:

Within weeks and months of installation, communities would begin to complain about water quality. These complaints range from metallic taste, odor, and the appearance of water. Also, the communities would report discoloration of water and cloths and highly turbid water.

All these result in people abandoning the water point and going back to unprotected alternative water sources.

Positive observations

The use of uPVC pipes and stainless-steel adapters has so far shown positive results in reducing iron contamination. After switching from galvanized pipes to UPVC, the communities have observed reduced to no brown or reddish color in the water. uPVC pipes last long, so you won’t have to worry about replacing them anytime soon. Since uPVC is non-porous, uPVC pipes help by preventing any contamination from occurring. uPVC is resistant to corrosion as it is not susceptible to chemical and electrochemical reactions, so there are better option in controlling iron contamination. The use of uPVC pipes and stainless-steel adapters has so far shown positive results in reducing iron contamination

Figure 4: Riser pipe removal and water quality testing for an installation that was less than six months old by ECHO.

What we are advocating for:

▪ Stakeholders should address the handpumps with corrosion problems as a priority in order to guarantee the water quality we supply to the people.

▪ Testing boreholes that present iron contamination to determine whether the source of iron is from the aquifer or from corrosion. This will provide the best options for the right material to equip the water point with

▪ Competent borehole drilling and rehabilitation supervision should be ensured so that all standards and specifications are adhered to.

▪ Regular water quality analysis is undertaken, and critical parameters are tested to address problems such as corrosion and other related problems that shorten the life span of a hand pump

You are invited to access the presentations HERE, along with the session’s concept and report. If you would like to dive deeper into the enriching exploration of water challenges and solutions through the Stop the Rot initiative, visit this page.

About the author:

Annie Kalusa – Kapambwe presenting at at ZAWAFE 2023

Annie Kalusa is an accomplished development practitioner and administrator. Currently working for a local Zambian NGO Empowered Communities Helping Others (ECHO) in Zambia, focusing on improving the wellbeing of Vulnerable Rural Communities. Her areas of focus are climate resilient Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). She is currently developing her thesis on Rural Agriculture Practices and Mechanisms for Water Resource Management.

Photo credits: Annie Kalusa

The journey towards reducing the effects of rapid corrosion in Kalumbila District, Zambia

Stop the Rot during ZAWAFE 2023 Zambia – 3/4

This blog is part of a four-part blog series highlighting the presentations delivered during the 11th Zambia Water Forum and Exhibition. The event, themed “Accelerating Water Security and Sanitation Investments in Zambia: Towards Agenda 2023 through the Zambia Water Investment Programme”, lasted three days.

Third session:

The journey towards reducing the effects of rapid corrosion in Kalumbila District.

Kalumbila District is a district in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It has two major mines namely Lumwana and Kalumbila Mines.

With a population of over 170,000, the district has about 300 water points (boreholes and protected wells equipped with handpumps).

Rapid handpump corrosion has been a problem since the district was created in 2015. One of the interventions that the district has undertaken has been iron removal filters (to remove iron from pumped water), although these have not been sustainable.

Figure 1: Location of Kalimbula District

In every program of drilling of boreholes about 40% of boreholes were abandoned within one year after handover due to rapid corrosion.

We started looking for a solution to this problem. We found that iron filters were used but were not sustainable.

Figure 2: Handpump evaluation

One of the interventions that the district has undertaken has been iron removal filters (to remove iron from pumped water), although these have not been sustainable. In Kalumbila District it was found, that in every borehole programme, about 40% of the handpumps installed were abandoned due to high iron content, with some boreholes being abandoned as early as three months after construction and commissioning.

Projects

In 2017 UNICEF supported Kalumbila district in the drilling of 23 boreholes and rehabilitation of 15 water points.

In 2018 JICA also supported Kalumbila district with rehabilitation of 77 water points using uPVC pipes with stainless steel adapters. It is from these projects that we learnt a lot of important lessons and made recommendations to the D-WASHE committee. No water point was abandoned after one year of handover Kalumbila district decided to suspend the use of galvanised iron (GI) pipes and recommended the use of stainless steel and uPVC pipes for Indian Mark II and Afridev hand pumps.

Lessons learnt

It is from these two projects that we learnt a lot of lessons, and we told ourselves never to keep quiet. From these two projects, we observed that no water point was abandoned after one year of handover. We saw a solution – why continue to use GI pipes when there was a solution. So we made recommendations to the D-WASHE committee. After this, Kalumbila district decided to suspend the use of galvanised iron (GI) pipes and recommended the use of stainless steel and uPVC pipes for India Mark II and Afridev hand pumps. We have discovered that handpumps with stainless steel riser pipes do not require frequent repair and maintenance whereas sometimes the GI pipes would require replacement every six months. For the past four years, those handpumps remain working.

Our challenges include a lack of funding for the rehabilitation of boreholes affected by rapid corrosion. Further, some stakeholders have not supported the districts fully.

Recommendations

Stakeholders at the national level take an interest in order to address this issue of rapid corrosion.
The use of materials that are environmentally friendly without change of properties when they come into contact with aggressive water (i.e. materials such as stainless steel and uPVC).
There is capacity building of all Area Pump Menders (APMs) in Afridev hand pumps.
All hand pumps that have galvanised iron (GI) riser pipes are to be rehabilitated.

About the author:

Daniel Shimanza presenting at ZAWAFE 2023

Daniel Shimanza is a Zambian Citizen who has worked in the water sector for more than 6 years. He worked on many water supply projects in Kalumbila district, Zambia in collaboration with GRZ, NGOs such as UNICEF, and World Vision. He has a passion for the improvement of access to clean water supply for people living in rural areas. He’s championing a campaign to reduce the effects of rapid corrosion in Kalumbila district by using alternative materials such as stainless steel pipes, PVC pipes, Iron Filters, and more. He holds a Diploma in Water Engineering from NRDC and currently pursuing a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the Copperbelt University.

When stainless steel is not stainless steel

Stop the Rot during ZAWAFE 2023 Zambia – 2/4

RWSN at the World Water Week 2023, 20 –24 August

SIWI’s World Water Week (WWW) in Stockholm is one of the greatest global gatherings addressing worldwide water challenges and fostering collective action.

WWW 2023 carries particular significance as it builds upon the commitments and outcomes established during the UN 2023 Water Conference. Themed “Seeds of Change – Innovative Solutions for a Water-Wise World”, the event brought together participants from over 150 countries, inviting them to rethink how we manage water, what innovations, ideas, and governance systems exist to tackle water-related challenges. The advantage of having free online participation not only heightened inclusivity but allowed greater global participation and discussions on pivotal water issues.

The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN)’s Secretariat, members, and supporters participated in the 2023 WWW edition, underscoring their dedication to finding sustainable solutions to the global water crisis. By facilitating meaningful discussions and co-convening three sessions, RWSN had the opportunity to be part of the broader efforts of addressing water-related challenges in rural areas and beyond.

Cover Photo: Satoshi Ishii, Director, Water and Urban Development Sector Office, ADB exchanged views on water initiatives and programs with Sean Furey and Aline Saraiva Okello, PhD from the RWSN Secretariat (Source: ADB, LinkedIn)

Driving rural water innovation: concept to scale-up. Sunday, 20 Aug, Online and Onsite

Photo credits: A. Saraiva Okello, RWSN

This REAL-Water session brought together innovators aiming to speed up rural water development. Panelists showcased innovations in technology, finance, and management at various stages. Participants explored how these innovations could impact their work and considered the past and future of rural water innovation.

Convenors: Aquaya, Evidence Action, iDE, Imagine H2O, REAL-Water program of USAID, Rural Water Supply Network, Skat Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, UDUMA, Virridy, Water Mission, Water.org

Women for the Future of Water. Building on the Momentum of the UN 2023 Water Conference. Tuesday, 22 August 2023, Online

This session addressed how the workforce of the water and sanitation sector demonstrates a gender imbalance. Different organisations tackle the challenge of gender-imbalance from researching to empowering professional water and sanitation women through networking, mentoring and support at local, national or international levels to address the commitments related to gender in the water sector, made at the UN 2023 Water Conference. Convenors: African Water and SanitationAssociation (AfWASA); International Water Association (IWA); Sustainable Sanitation Alliance (SuSanA); Women for Water Partnership (WfWP); Women in Water & Sanitation Network (WWSN)

Photo: Women’s Mingle. Credits: A. Saraiva Okello / Ellen Greggio

SIRWASH breakfast at the World Water Week 2023.

The SIRWASH programme, led by the Swiss Agency of Development Cooperation (SDC) and the Inter-American Bank (IDB), hosted a side event at World Water Week and brought together prominent leaders and shared advances in monitoring, policy and partnerships.

Some of the topics covered included:

Telemetry for monitoring WASH services in rural areas, by Mr. Edgard Coronel, Monitoring Specialist, National Rural Sanitation Program (PNSR), Peru.
National Rural Sanitation Program: challenges for implementation, by Flavio Marcos Gomes Júnior, National Secretary of Sanitation, Ministry of Cities, Brazil.
Advances and challenges in terms of access to water and sanitation in rural areas of Chile, by Carlos Estévez Valencia, Coordinator of the Water Cabinet, Ministry of Public Works, Chile.

Sergio Campos, Head of the IDB’s Water and Sanitation Division, spoke about the progress being made to encourage and promote exchange between countries in the Southern Hemisphere on water, sanitation and hygiene in rural areas, and the importance of working together with different Multilateral Development Banks -such as the African and Asian Development Banks- to achieve a unified global call to action towards the achievement of SDG 6.

Learn more about this session here

Photo: SIRWASH session during World Water Week 2023. Credit: A. Saraiva Okello

Launch of Africa’s Voice on Water (AVOW)

The African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) launched the first edition of “Africa’s Voice on Water” a new quarterly bi-lingual publication that brings news and opinion from policy, programmes and research. Sean Furey attended the launch on behalf of RWSN, having co-authored an article on the RWSN “Stop the Rot” campaign and brokered an article on Water Quality Assurance from the REAL-Water programme.

Photo: AMCOW social media account.

Looking ahead

RWSN’s efforts to improve water security in rural areas continue. As a leading global network of professionals in rural water supply, RWSN keeps working diligently towards achieving universal access to sustainable, safe and affordable water for all.

To find out more about RWSN, and join the network as an individual or a Member Organisation, see here: https://www.rural-water-supply.net/en/