Community Water
Community water projects are largely misunderstood. They can be large, complex, expensive -- and may not address the problem there were designed to address.

A recent study analyzed the reports of several hundred community water projects said that half of community water projects fell into disuse within the first two years after construction. They cited the two main reasons as the facts that communities weren't well enough organized to maintain water systems, and that many of these water systems were designed and installed by amateurs.

Several other studies that I've read have pointed out that community water systems are frequently developed to improve the health of small children there were suffering from chronic diarrhea -- but don't fulfill that mandate. Why? The water brought to a central distribution point may be contaminated. Water collected from the central distribution point may become contaminated on route to a family's home -- or while the family is using or storing the water.

Community water projects are also varied in concept. A spring that has dried up may be able to be restored with a reforestation project in the spring’s watershed area. Contaminated water may be able to be cleaned up with an awareness raising program for farmers who are inadvertently contaminating the watershed with chemicals or open defecation or with free ranging livestock.

Sometimes spring water needs to be brought in from great distances, at great expense and with the legal complications of securing right of ways. Sometimes it's a just a matter of repairing and restoring a catchment basin at the edge of the village. Other times it's a matter of bringing the water into the center of the village for easier access and other times community water projects involve running water pipes to each of the community members homes.

Each one of these kinds of projects demands a different set of skills, and a different set of experts to do an analysis of the situation, to design a solution for the problem, and to do the actual implementation of the project.

We're also hoping to develop a protocol of when should a water system be the first project to be done. Perhaps if it's a children's health issue the first stage of the project should be point of use water purification, hand washing, and family hygiene workshops. It's conceivable that their implementation, a community water committee could be formed, an expert could be consulted with, and a funding partner could be found.

Be sure and visit our Community Water Working Group.