Tag: Malawi
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New Paper: Contribution of physical factors to handpump borehole functionality in Africa
The latest from the Hidden Crisis project: Highlights Handpumps are the main water supply for rural communities across sub-Saharan Africa. However, studies show that >25 % of handpumps are non-functional at any time. We present results from a systematic field study of handpump borehole functionality. The study was designed to investigate the contribution of physical…
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UPGro Hidden Crisis fieldwork done in partnership with WaterAid country teams and with full support of government ministries in Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda, who adopted the survey reports [C8]
Research conducted in Uganda revealed the high rate of pump corrosion to the poorly galvanized iron pipes used for borehole installation. This has enabled WaterAid to deliver this message to the key stakeholders that can effect change to reduce the problem of corrosion. Presentations of research results in National working groups and coordination meetings at…
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New paper: Drinking water quality from rural handpump-boreholes in Africa
Open Access here: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab8031 Groundwater provides a vital source of drinking water for rural communities in many parts of Africa, particularly in the dry season when there are few safe alternative sources. This paper summarises results from a study (n = 428) assessing dry season water quality, both microbiological and inorganic chemistry, in handpump equipped…
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Drilling dialogues: conversations about drilling professionalism and the rise of the off-grid city
by Adrian Healy, Cardiff University, UK The African Water Association Congress 2020 witnessed an increasing focus on the important role groundwater plays in urban water supplies across Africa. It was my pleasure to facilitate two lively panel debates on what are important, but often overlooked, themes in the development of groundwater resources. The first panel…
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Technical brief now available – Project approach for defining and assessing rural water supply functionality and levels of performance
The Hidden Crisis project team have now published a Technical Brief on the methods developed and used by the project to assess rural water supply functionality and levels of performance – now available from here. This technical brief is aimed at sharing the learning and approaches developed by the project to look at how the…
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The Politics of Water 3: Area Mechanics in Malawi
In November 2017 I started my ‘politics of water’ blog as an outlet to share experiences and findings from my research in rural Malawi on water governance and service sustainability. This third installment looks at handpump mechanics.
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An Analysis of Hand Pump Boreholes Functionality in Malawi
by Prof T. Mkandawire, E. Mwathunga, A.M. MacDonald, H.C. Bonsor, S. Banda, P.,Mleta, S. Jumbo, J. Ward, D. Lapworth, L. Whaley, R.M. Lark Abstract A survey on functionality of boreholes equipped with hand pumps was undertaken in five districts in Malawi in 2016. The survey aimed at developing a robust evidence base and understanding of the complex and multifaceted causes…
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Facing the groundwater threats and opportunities in Southern Africa
This week, regional and international water experts have converged on Johannesburg at the 1st Groundwater Conference of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The event has been convened by the SADC Groundwater Management Institute (GMI) in assocciation with a number of partners including GRIPP UPGro has a strong presence at the event as part of the…

