Page 8 - WATER SECTOR MAGAZINE VOLUME 3

PUMPAID INTRODUCES SELF-SUPPLY

TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO WATER

By STAFF WRITER
Various studies have revealed that current models of
providing water are failing disastrously. They are neither
sustainable for poor communities nor value for money
for donors. In Malawi, as in many southern African
countries, the clear majority of people are dependent on
community managed wells for access to safe water. Yet
many rural communities are poorly served and those
with access to a communal well are frequently let down
by poor functionality, forcing both groups to resort to
unsafe sources.
According to The World Bank and DFID non-
functionality of the current models runs at 40%. Official
studies show that currently two million Malawians have
no access to improved water. However, in reality at least
7 million more cannot access improved water because of
poor functionality. Where they exist, communal water
points are not convenient for the vast majority of users
as most of them have to make a 500m round trip to
access water. This limits use for hygiene and productive
purposes. Additionally, approved technology by the
government is limited to two officially sanctioned hand
pump designs that are at most complicated and expensive
to repair. Wash Entrepreneurs testing a Self-Supply pump
It is against this background that Pump Aid came up
with a small enterprise driven Self-Supply initiative as a
sustainable model for access to water mainly in the rural Entrepreneurs can deliver improved access even though they received a treadle pump for free, they
areas of the country. to water via a business model; and most preferred to invest in a rope irrigation pump.”
importantly, this approach can deliver a range
Self-Supply is defined as improvements to household of benefits such as improving livelihoods; Following the pilot project, Pump Aid has recommended
or community water supplies that are fully financed by responding to demand; increasing functionality that initial and ongoing investment is required in order
the owners themselves, neither governments nor NGOs and sustainability of WASH facilities: achieving for Self-Supply to take root across Malawi and that the
provide subsidies for capital investment or for operation access to water targets; encouraging ownership; Government of Malawi should urgently seek to establish an
and maintenance. The products and services for the fostering sharing; enhancing convenience and enabling environment by implementing a policy framework
water source improvements are usually provided on a health benefits; and delivering value for money. that explicitly support Self-Supply, actively promote the role
commercial basis by local private enterprises. of the private sector, improving access to credit, training
Said Zumu-Mwale: “Our ‘Wash Entrepreneurs’ for WASH Entrepreneurs and customer quality assurance,
Self-Supply emphasizes incremental improvements to have at least doubled their incomes thereby recognizing rope and washer pump technology as a form of
water and sanitation facilities. People start by digging a stimulating local economies as they are improved water delivery for communities unsuited to more
well with a basic cover, then when funds are available, now able to create financially sustainable complex interventions and establishing a Working Group to
the well is lined to protect from collapse, then finally businesses. We have also shown that poor rural act as a national level coordinating and promotion body and
install a pump. Gradually even poor rural communities communities both want better WASH services promoting Self-Supply within government, notably by the
can improve their access to improved water. Across the and have income to invest, we are treating Ministry of Health.
globe many countries have positive experience of Self- people as customers rather than beneficiaries.
Supply. In the USA over 10 million people are reliant For households, ownership brings increased “Practically, up-scaling in Malawi will require numerous
on Self-Supply, in Ethiopia the government has recently reliability and for water point committees actors. Initially, geographic expansion from Kasungu will
enshrined Self-Supply into its Water Growth and improved maintenance brings increased allow for a more organic growth, providing for increased
Development Policy and in Zimbabwe over two million functionality. customer demand through word of mouth, as this project
people are supported with access to improved water found out, a crucial marketing method. A business focused
through Self-Supply. “Self-Supply pumps and wells are owned and approach is also crucial to ensure financially sustainable
maintained by the investor, not the government, WASH entrepreneurs and a scale up of self-supply in Malawi
Between 2014 and 2016 Pump Aid has been in Kasungu nor an NGO, this relieves budget pressure and which isn’t dependent on external funding,” said Zumu-
piloting and testing the suitability and sustainability releases resources for other areas. Further, Mwale.
of Self-Supply to Malawian rural communities. Pump households that share water resources with
Aid tested this approach by inspiring 25 ‘WASH neighbours, multiply their impact while shorter Self-supply has a specific role to play in the fight to improve
Entrepreneurs’ to establish financially sustainable distances to water frees up time for other food security. Since the pilot ended, Pump Aid has been
businesses, providing water and sanitation products purposes; and more convenient access increases supporting entrepreneurs to market and sell cheap reliable
and services, and these WASH Entrepreneurs were the use of water for hygienic purposes.” rope and washer irrigation pumps to farmers. In a country
simultaneously supported by Pump Aid with training where less than 12% of small scale farmers use irrigation,
and marketing to stimulate demand. Zumu-Mwale also said that Self-Supply it is vital to offer farmers the option to invest in affordable
projects are significantly more cost effective productive and easily repairable technology, so that harvests
Pump Aid Country Director Tiyese Zumu-Mwale to implement than standard community well and yields can be increased.
explained that Pump Aid worked closely with a “very projects, especially in remote and hard to reach
supportive” District Council staff but the pilot took areas. Zumu-Mwale added: “We have seen a high demand for
a zero-subsidy approach with the entrepreneurs, no Self-Supply irrigation pumps amongst farmers in Mchinji
start up kits and no soft loans. Overall, the training According to Pump Aid, Kasungu District and Kasungu, even where farmers have been provided with
and support of the 25 entrepreneurs and their active and Malawi in general, provide many of the treadle pumps for free by NGOs, are not using them because
engagement in business led to new access to improved conditions for Self-Supply to take root and they do not meet the farmer’s needs. We are showing that
water for at least 9,660 people and has secured access thrive: high levels of groundwater, a supply of by giving farmers a choice and clear information about how
to improved water for a further 12,000 in three T/As in artisans working at community level, a sizeable much the pump costs and how much they can expect to
Kasungu. population without improved access to water yield, farmers are willing to invest their own money. This is
and a generally supportive government. the exact opposite to an aid dependency approach.”
“Over 20,000 people secured access to improved water
and many more now wish to take advantage of this “Each of the markets offers potential for small As more people adopt the Self-Supply initiative, more
opportunity. At a per capita cost of less than 50% scale entrepreneurs, but they all require initial people see the benefits and want the pumps for themselves.
compared to traditional approaches, this approach has support to develop,” said Zumu-Mwale. According to Pump Aid, the WASH Entrepreneurs have
demonstrated that communities could be resistance to already received expressions of interest from double the
climate shocks and its suitability and being beneficial to On improved functionality Zumu-Mwale said: number of customers they have previously served, and
several particular client groups that include: the WASH “Non-functionality in T/A Kawamba, T/A this creates an opportunity for Pump Aid, the Malawi
Entrepreneurs; individual and groups of households; Njombwa and T/A Kaomba, where the pilot Government and all agencies working in Malawi to seize
users of community wells; and small-scale farmers was conducted is at the lowest, less than 3%, the potential of Self-Supply and bring the benefits of clean,
wanting to improve irrigation,” explained Zumu-Mwale. compared to other T/As in the same district, safe water to the maximum number of people in the shortest
surely this is not a coincidence.Again,currently possible time.
The Kasungu pilot project has shown that WASH 100% of the farmers that have used the rope
Pole Model have stopped using treadle pumps
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