Document
Over the past years, the NGO AWARD (Association for Water and Rural Development) has been working on a programme entitled SWELL (Securing Water to Enhance Local Livelihoods) in ward 16 of the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, South Africa. The aim of the programme is to develop an approach for integrated planning of rural water services to enhance people’s livelihoods, especially of the poorest and most vulnerable groups in the communities. This report aims to provide insight into the current role of water in people’s livelihoods and especially how that is shaped by access to water.
The report shows that at first sight typical water-based activities, such as gardening, livestock or small business, are not the main source of livelihood for the people in the area. However, they do play a crucial role in diversifying and reducing vulnerability and dependency on other sources of livelihood. They also do provide important nutritious food and cash to the poorer households.
The extent to which these livelihoods activities can be undertaken depends to a large extent on access to water. Whereas in the area access to water resources is not a major limiting factor, the current infrastructure and its management is. Poor design, operation and maintenance result in frequent break-downs and unreliable supply. As a result people curtail or delay their productive activities. But they are also affected in other aspects of their livelihoods, especially time spent on water collection. As coping strategies they may have to go to neighbouring villages to collect water, buy expensive water from private vendors or store water at household level. The poorest and most vulnerable groups lack the assets to deal with these stresses.
Main recommendations include a number of strategies to improve immediate access to water, especially through clarifying institutional roles and responsibilities and developing operation and maintenance plans. In addition, recommendations are given to integrated planning for multiple uses. Understanding livelihoods, especially of the poorest people and households, is crucial in this.
A full synthesis report can be downloaded here, as well as short summary reports of the villages where the assessments were done.
At the 7th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 1-3 November 2006, the MUS project hosted a special session on multiple uses of water. A background paper to the session was prepared. This paper introduces the mus concept and its framework. It goes into detail on the relevance of mus for the SADC region, specially looking into issues of relevance for researchers. A short report of the session is also available.
At the 7th WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium, held in Lilongwe, Malawi from 1-3 November 2006, the MUS project hosted a special session on multiple uses of water. A background paper to the session was prepared. This paper introduces the mus concept and its framework. It goes into detail on the relevance of mus for the SADC region, specially looking into issues of relevance for researchers. A short report of the session is also available.
Water with all its multiple uses plays a pivotal role in the sustenance of rural livelihoods, especially the poor. As such, the provision of water which go beyond domestic to include water for small-scale productive uses should be encouraged to enhance peoples’ livelihood options by making significant contribution to household income, food security, improved nutrition and health. All these multiple benefits, if combined can assist in the fight against hunger and poverty.
This study was conducted in Mashonaland East province, covering Marondera, Murehwa and Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe districts in Zimbabwe for the period December 2005 to May 2006 to assess factors which affect multiple uses of water and their impact on the sustainability of rural water supply sources. Participatory Rural Appraisal tools such as discussions, observations and interviews were used for data collection. The survey found that people indeed require water for productive purposes apart from domestic uses, which are often given top priority. The study found out that multiple uses of water at household level can be affected by segmentation of water services into "domestic" and "productive" water supply schemes, technology and system design, water quality and quantity and distance to water sources among other factors.
The study recommends that water service providers to be able to provide appropriate, efficient and sustainable services, they should understand and appreciate the livelihood needs and priorities of the communities they serve. This calls for the need for harmonization and coordination of water service providers to best respond to communities’ multiple water demands.
The need for so-called multiple uses services has been made clear over the past years through an increasing body of literature, including from the Southern Africa region. In order to be able to follow a MUS approach at community level, an enabling environment of policies and institutions is needed both at intermediate and national level. Key elements of such an environment include policies which enable and promotevmultiple uses, coordination between sectors and levels and integrated financing streams. This report has tried to analyse that environment at national level in Zimbabwe.
Policies for water resources management are enabling a multiple use approach, though not actively promoting it. However, this opportunity hasn’t been seized by the domestic water supply or irrigation sector in the form of clear policies or guidelines on the development of water services for multiple purposes. In fact, a limited focus on
health only and rigid technology standards have in the past even limited the scope for multiple use services. Yet, within the same policy framework, NGOs have been able to innovate and develop broader livelihoods-based approaches and more appropriate technologies. At national level, coordination and especially sharing of lessons between NGOs holds the possibility to scale up the approach to other NGO programmes, and even government policies. Brining the approach down to district level will be more difficult, with coordination mechanisms at that level having collapsed or being inactive.
Water with all its multiple uses plays a pivotal role in the sustenance of rural people, especially the poor. As such, the provision of water which go beyond domestic to include water for productive uses can enhance peoples’ livelihood options by making significant contribution to household income, food security, improved nutrition and health. All these multiple benefits, if combined can assist in the fight against hunger and poverty. This study was conducted in Mashonaland East province, covering Marondera, Murehwa and Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe districts in Zimbabwe for the period December 2005 to May 2006 to assess factors which affect multiple uses of water and their impact on the sustainability of rural water supply sources. Methodology for participatory assessment was used for data collection. The survey found that people indeed require water for productive purposes apart from domestic uses, which are often given top priority. The study found out that multiple uses of water at household level can be affected by segmentation of water services into domestic and productive water supply schemes, technology and system design, water quality and quantity and distance to water sources among other factors. The study recommends that water providers to be able to provide appropriate, efficient and sustainable services, they should understand and appreciate the livelihood needs and priorities of the communities they serve. This calls for the need for harmonization and coordination of water service providers to best respond to communities’ multiple water demands.
The need for an approach to water supply which aims to cover for both people’s domestic and productive water (the multiple use services, mus, approach) needs has gained recognition over the last few years in Zimbabwe. A range of organisations, especially NGOs are pioneering such approach in their programmes and projects.
In following such a mus approach, these organisations have started to use a range of technologies which enable multiple uses in different degrees. These range from household-based options such as family wells and rainwater harvesting devices to community-based boreholes with bush pumps; and, from drip irrigation kits to associated head works for cattle watering and laundry. These technologies differ in their functioning, their costs and especially their implications for water use.
This paper attempts to systematically document these different technologies. It does so by first providing a typology of the technologies that are being used. This typology is based upon whether technologies are typical household solutions, or communal ones. A further distinction is made along the chain of water sources, extracting and lifting devices, and then distribution devices. Each of the technologies is described in detail, especially in terms of its implications for multiple use of water.
It shows that there is not one single “best” technology for multiple uses. The household-based family wells are more expensive (in per capita costs) than the conventional boreholes with bush pumps, but allow for much higher consumption levels, which can be turned into productive use. This doesn’t mean that family wells can now spread all over the country, as they can only be applied in areas with shallow groundwater. Other technologies such as rainwater harvesting and farm ponds are complementary technology to the family wells or bush pumps, as they cannot guarantee year-round water supply. Finally, a number of technologies can be applied to save water, and reduce labour requirements in putting available water to use, ranging from cattle troughs to drip kits. To what extent these are feasible, depends mainly on the availability of water. When it is easily and readily available, the need for such technologies is less than when more effort is needed to collect water.
How to finance multiple use water systems for the rural poor? Lessons learnt from the domestic water sector in the Olifants river basin, South Africa
This international workshop paper focuses on the water policies and institutions in the domestic water sector of South Africa, and on characteristics of rural water supply in terms of level of services, costs and financing. Empirical data from the former homelands of the Olifants river basin show that, although the main determinants of costs are difficult to determine due to the extreme variability of situations, water costs per capita increase with the quantity of water delivered so without economy of scale. Very few water-pricing policies are implemented, so everybody, including poor people, have a free access to water.
Institutional framework, water pricing structures and costs of domestic water services in rural poor areas of the Olifants River basin, South Africa
This report by Marie Lefebvre, MSc student, focuses on the domestic water sector in South Africa. It presents the general institutional and policy framework for the domestic water services. Water tarifs and subsidy policy of several Water Services Authorities operating in the former homeland areas in the Olifants river basin are analysed with regards to the objectives of cost-recovery, economic efficiency, affordability, administrative costs and equity. It also analyses the costs of rural water schemes currently transfered by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry to local governments.
MSc report submitted in Oct 2005
This MSc thesis explores the on farm implementation of low cost drip irrigation in Sekororo, South Africa.