In previous years that I have attended the World Water Week in Stockholm I have never shed tears. This morning was the first time. Alongside the current media attention about Calais in France and the erection of fences to stop migration, or seeking of refuge in the UK, the people of Jordan face a situation on a completely different scale. Jordan’s problem deserves not only much more media attention, but also much more action – and not just short term action!
RWSN Exchange
RWSN is at Stockholm World Water Week. We are at stand B9 and we have discussions and interviews with key experts going on all week. We will keep an up to date schedule here, so keep checking back here through the week.
Wednesday 26 Aug
- 9am “Future proofing rural water systems” with Susan Davies (Improve International)
- 1pm “Human Right to Water handbook in the SDG era” with Virgina Roaf and Hannah Neumeyer
- 2pm “Handpump standardisation” with Jess MacArthur, iDE
- 3:30pm “Solar pumps and prepayment systems” with Craig Williams and Andre, Water Missions International
Thursday 27 Aug
- 11am “T-GroUP: Groundwater for the urban poor” with Dr Jenny Grönwall (SIWI)
- 2pm “Reflections on household water treatment and universal water access” Maria Besteman (Basic Water Needs”
You are invited: survey on US WASH Donor Effectiveness
Imagine there is access to improved water sources but people don’t use it? Imagine there is no water supply, what are people going to do?
Blog on Self-supply by André Olschewski, Skat Foundation
Self-supply are incremental improvements to access and water quality which are financed by own investments. The Self-supply approach and many more interesting topics have been presented and discussed at WEDC Conference 2015 which took place last week in Loughborough, UK.
Apparently people’s needs and aspirations related to water supply and sanitation and hygiene (WASH) do not always match with the level of service provided by interventions of WASH programmes or to put it differently WASH programmes are not always designed and implemented in a way that they satisfy people needs and aspirations.
WEDC Conference Presentation: Future Proofing Rural Water Systems
13 ways to provide water and sanitation for nine billion people
Summary of Live Q&A discussion on the Guardian Development Professionals Network, which included RWSN input on the expert panel.
How can water be better managed to ensure enough supply for a growing global population? Our panel of water experts have their say.
Continue reading “13 ways to provide water and sanitation for nine billion people”
Zambia: Borehole Drilling Harming Ground Water
By Charles Simengwa, Stanslous Ngosa, Moffat Chazingwa and Chusa Sichone (http://allafrica.com/stories/201506070300.html)
THE construction sector in Zambia is at an all-time high, with buildings springing up all around the country, particularly in urban areas.
It is a building rush cutting across commercial entities and private individuals who are investing heavily in picturesque houses.
This is a mark of how Zambians have learnt the advantages of becoming homeowners and, consequently, securing the future of their families.
Continue reading “Zambia: Borehole Drilling Harming Ground Water”
Engineering for Change article: How to improve the adoption of innovative technology in developing countries
Investment in rural water supply delivers results – NEW RWSN briefing note on the new JMP report
The Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) of UNICEF and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have just released a new report: 25 Year Progress on Sanitation and Drinking Water – 2015 Update report and MDG Assessment
We have pulled together a 2-side briefing note that pulls out some of the headline figures and conclusion on rural water supply. Please download it from:
http://www.rural-water-supply.net/_ressources/documents/default/1-674-2-1435935827.pdf (0.9 MB)
The new figures from JMP show that most countries have achieved substantial progress towards achieving universal access to water for their citizens.
84% of people living in rural areas now have access to a safe water source in 2015 (up from 62% in 1990)
- “The number of people without access in rural areas has decreased by over half a billion” (1990-2015)
- 17 Countries achieved 100% improved access (1990 – 2015) in rural areas
- Global rural-urban disparities have decreased but large gaps remain – 8 out of ten people without access to an improved water source live in rural areas
- Good progress in most regions but Oceania lags behind and Sub-Saharan Africa has little piped-on-premises improvement
Find out more by downloading the briefing note – and guess which country made the biggest percentage gain in improved access for its rural population? I almost guarantee it won’t what you expected!
http://www.rural-water-supply.net/_ressources/documents/default/1-674-2-1435935827.pdf
If you want to air your thoughts then join the discussion on our LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=3935951
A borehole that lasts for a lifetime
Groundwater is a valuable resource for communities, but accessing and maximising its potential can be difficult. Vincent Casey, WaterAid’s Technical Support Manager for Water Security, introduces a series of videos demonstrating good practice in borehole drilling.
Groundwater is a valuable resource for communities, but accessing and maximising its potential can be difficult. Vincent Casey, WaterAid’s Technical Support Manager for Water Security, introduces a series of videos demonstrating good practice in borehole drilling.
Good practice must be followed if groundwater development programmes are to reach their full potential. If certain steps are not taken, there is a high chance that boreholes will fail, investment will be wasted and people will remain un-served.
Rural Water Supply Network - blog 