Borda South Asia

cbs

Decentralized Water Supply

Basic needs services to improve the livelihoods of poor communities in rural and mountainous areas

Background

The Challenge

Good Practice: The HydRam

Informed Choice and Demand oriented Approach

Technical Options

Dissemination Strategy

Benefits of HydRam

HydRam Partner Network

Background

Water supply – a poverty related basic need service

Access to clean water forms the basis for a minimum standard of living and enables the deprived to improve their quality of life.
Water supply for household and agricultural use is thus a key component of poverty oriented basic needs services.

BORDA’s mission

Conventional local and governmental water supply concepts have failed to respond to the specific needs and conditions of the target population in remote mountainous areas. Therefore, BORDA seeks to bridge this deficiency by

implementing demand based service provider concepts for decentralised water supply with demonstration projects
disseminating this approach in cooperation with various stakeholders

The willingness of the target group to actively participate in the project realisation is essential for the sustainability of these measures and is precondition for project implementation. In order to assure sustained access to vital resources, BORDA incorporates only environmentally friendly technologies and the utilisation of renewable energy into the technology selection process.

Particularly in rural, mountainous areas with little rainfall, water sources are often several hundred meters away from houses and fields. The people in these regions traditionally live off farming and have to walk over long distances to fetch the water and carry it back to their villages.
With one crop a year they have difficulties sustaining to provide for a living and find no opportunity to improve their situation. Moreover, the lack of clean water constitutes serious health hazards for the affected population.

As socio-economic development is hardly possible under these conditions, many migrate to the cities with the illusion of gaining a better live.

Water supply shortages are particularly problematic
in remote rural and mountainous areas

Water has to be carried to the villages.
It is mostly the task of women and children.

The Challenge

Where conventional systems of water supply fail

Local and state governments have continuously failed in their efforts to supply water to rural and mountainous areas.
Conventional systems that channel water over long distances from rivers or big reservoirs, or that employ diesel motor pumps to deliver the water to mountainous villages are mostly very expensive and rarely show positive long-term results.
On the contrary, such programmes commonly have a rather demoralising effect on the participating population.
Reasons for failure can be found both in the concept and technology of the systems.

Even though the rivers have enough water,
it doesn’t reach the fields for irrigation.

not appropriate for specific preferences and needs of the poor target groups
provider are often unaware of the needs and financial capabilities of the user groups
high costs for operation and maintenance of diesel powered systems that are susceptible to break down
maintenance servicing is poor and expensive
high investment and administrational costs (to service remote areas)

Thus, seeking to reach a large number of remote mountainous villages with conventional systems is prone to fail, as the supply to these locations incurs costs and risks that are too high for users to bear.

Water supply -
a global issue

1.2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water. Yet, water is essential for life. It is therefore the aim of the UN Millennium Development Goals to halve the number of people without access to water by 2015. In March 2003, the UN also proclaimed the period from 2005 to 2015 International Decade for Action 'Water for Life' . This is to call attention to the vital role of water and its urgency for human development around the world.

Water scarcity mostly affects poor countries and constitutes a threat to food security and economic development. Without sufficient water farmers cannot produce enough food and water using industries stand idle.

At the same time, 90% of the waste water produced world wide is discharged into the water cycle without receiving sufficient treatment.

80% of all diseases and 25% of all deaths in developing countries are a result of water contamination.

Thus, water supply and waste water treatment play a key role in the fight against poverty, the reduction of environmental pollution and the prevention of conflicts.

Where water is scarce, living conditions are constrained and many people migrate to the cities.

Good Practice: The Hydraulic Ram

Successes in India , China and Vietnam

Since 1981, BORDA has been active in the dissemination of poverty oriented decentralized water supply systems in remote rural and mountainous areas.

The implementation and continuous improvement of demand oriented approaches has lead to notable successes in India , China and Vietnam .
The water lifting technology of the Hydraulic Ram (HydRam) is a feasible solution for the geographic and economic conditions of the farmers in remote mountainous areas and has significantly contributed to this success.

Decentralised basic needs service:
Water supply for households and agricultural use

This well-proven implementation concept was documented in the ‘HydRam Handbook’. Together with regional studies and surveys the handbook forms the basis for further dissemination.

Characteristics of the HydRam

Decentralized :
Affordable :
Simple :
Eco-friendly :
Reliable :
Efficient :
Effective :
Tested :
Appropriate :
Sustainable :

Suitable for remote areas
Low investment costs
Minimum operation and maintenance
Utilises renewable energy
Continuous operation possible
No fuel or electricity required
Can lift water up to 120 meters
Well proven performance in > 1500 devices
Needs and demand oriented
Operation and maintenance by user groups

Workshops and Seminars

The demand for this concept was reaffirmed by all involved stakeholders on various information and awareness campaigns, as well as on conferences (NET 2001 in China und NET 2002 in India ), seminars and workshops organised by BORDA.

Capacity Building and training for partner organisations

In new dissemination areas it is necessary to adapt services to regional conditions and specific user demands and to fulfil training requirements of partner organisations. Thus, ‘Good Practices’ are first introduced by pilot- learn or demonstration projects. Results are then integrated as options into the further dissemination.

Informed Choice
and Demand oriented Approach

Informed choice

Feasibility studies provide first data on technical possibilities in new regions. Potential users and different stakeholders are then informed about the new water supply options to enable an informed choice over preferred solutions and technical options. This allows a comprehensive final selection of user groups and stakeholders – according to the criteria of a demand oriented approach.

Stakeholders

To facilitate sustainable operation and further dissemination, service provider concepts must be supported by the main stakeholders. The user/target group, relevant government institutions and the partner organisation (mostly NGOs) join together as a development cooperation and share the responsibilities of the project implementation from planning, construction up to operation and maintenance (O&M). This can only be realised if the entire process is based on the demands of all stakeholders. Therefore, BORDA’s engagement in the project is tied to specific conditions that have to be fulfilled.

Water User Committee meeting.
All villagers benefit from common planning

Conditions:

1. Participation of user groups

Essential criteria for selection are poverty and real need for water supply, as well as the participation of user groups.
It is indispensable that users can operate and maintain the supply schemes independently, particularly in remote areas.
Selecting appropriate technologies guarantees that expenses for O&M can be covered by user fees.

Water User Committees are founded to organise the participation during construction, O&M and fee collection.

Investment costs for delivery pipes and storage tanks are mostly covered by users.
The demand oriented selection and user participation guarantees high user acceptance.

2. Involvement of local, regional and national authorities

The involvement of policy-makers is necessary for the legal project basis.
As public authorities are commissioned with the provision of water supply systems they are integrated in the early stages of the dissemination process and are encouraged to take a stake in the project as provider of services and/or co-finances.

3. Willingness of implementing partner organisations to learn and grow

Demand oriented basic needs services can only be disseminated with regionally operating partner organisations.
They have well-established contacts to the marginalized target groups and are familiar with their habits.
To act as a provider for basic needs services they have to be able and willing to install supply systems, manage O&M and organise user committees.
They act as the locally responsible agency right from the start of the demonstration and pilot projects.
Partner organisations are continuously trained within the BORDA partner network.

Technical Options

High system flexibility

By installing more than 1000 decentralized water supply systems with HydRams, BORDA developed a range of technical options that adapt the technology to user demands and topographic conditions:

Five HydRam types with different feeding capacities are available
Parallel and serial installation is possible
Flood cage constructions for special sites are possible

the irrigation tank is filled overnight

the operator opens the HydRam

Parallel installation of the HydRam

Water for drinking, household use and, irrigation

The HydRam can lift water. The water source determines whether the water can be used for drinking, consumption or irrigation. The system can be configured to deliver different quantities of water to consumption water tanks in the villages or to irrigation tanks on the fields.

Simple and efficient technology

As long as there is a river, stream or canal with sufficient inclination, the HydRam provides a simple solution for both, domestic and agricultural water supply – 24 hours per day, 12 months a year.

The HydRam is based on the ‘water hammer effect'. Kinetic energy obtained from flowing water of small rivers or streams is utilised for lifting a specific quantity of water ( maximum height: 120 m).

The lifted water output depends on the ratio of the lift (height) to the water drop (h/H). E.g., with a ratio of 10:1, the lifted water output is between 2 m³ and 300 m³ per day, depending on the size of the HydRam in use.

Produced in Asia

Initiated by BORDA, HydRam are produced in India , China and Vietnam with production cost between 250 and 1.400 € (depending on the size).

Dissemination Strategy

Informing key stakeholders

Early information of key stakeholders is vital to ensure continuous support for the programme on a macro-level.

Informed choice

Users/communities are informed and choose technical options and service models.

Project planning

Project planning includes technical and socio-economic feasibility studies, construction design and legal aspects.

Training programs

BORDA experts facilitate training programs for qualified staff of partner organisations to strengthen capacities of the local service provider.

The second crop in February would not be possible without irrigation with HydRams

Project implementation

To ensure high quality standards, major tasks are carried out by qualified experts. User participation in construction work reduces costs and generates ownership identification among beneficiaries. User committees are trained by experts for sustainable O&M.

Quality control

Both, internal and external evaluations ensure the quality of the service provider system and help improve performance for further dissemination.

Cost efficiency

With the distribution of financial investment across stakeholders, cost efficiency is increased; furthermore, O&M can be financed by user fees.

BORDA network

The international BORDA network facilitates further dissemination (knowledge transfer, trainings, conferences, cooperation between experts from partner organisations).

Benefits of Hydram

Effective, efficient and sustainable basic needs service solution for decentralized water supply
Improvement of the livelihoods of marginalized people by providing reliable water supply for agricultural and household use
Reinforcement of self-determination of user communities
Reduction of the daily work load of women and children
Capacity-building in social, technical and management competence
Decrease of rural migration
Environmentally friendly dissemination of appropriate technologies

Mushrooms in China , apricots in Ladakh
– a second crop guarantees additional income.

E.g. P.R. China

Until 2002, 600 HydRams were installed in China.
Over 400.000 people benefit from the activities
An additional 2.000 hectares of terraced fields are now irrigated.
Farmers’ yields have thereby been increased by about 20%.
Every year, about 10 Million kWh of energy is saved.
This equals an emission decrease of 13.000 t CO2 and 100 t SO4 annually.
A technology transfer from P.R. China to Vietnam was initiated by BORDA in 2001. Within the first year 52 villages were provided with HydRam water lifting devices produced in Vietnam.