Smart Water Management

 

Many countries in the developing world have very poor levels of water treatment. Drinking water or the water used by farmers for crop irrigation is often contaminated, leading to all sorts of health problems, which affect farmers directly and the people who consume their produce. Diarrhoea and cholera outbreaks are usually caused by the use of poorly treated wastewater.

 

Water purification is the first and most important step in implementing  a 'multi-barrier approach' that scientists recommend in order to avoid contaminants from entering the food chain. Barriers include: introducing safer irrigation practices; promoting on-farm wastewater treatment; taking actions that cause pathogens to die off; and effectively washing crops after harvest before going to market.

 

Much needed investment is required for proper water quality management, not only for human consumption, but for effective agricultural systems, with the potential to save lives and improve the livelihoods of all the inhabitants of these stricken communities.

The drilling of bore-holes coupled with low cost hand pumps has traditionally served rural communities well, however, the hand pumps often break down with months passing before they get repaired.

 

To help combat the issue, a team from Oxford University has developed a system using mobile phone technology to benefit rural communities in Africa, that places data transmitters inside the pump, gathering data on usage, and if the pump breaks down, a text is automatically sent to the district or national water managers, alerting them as to where and when to deploy a repair team, saving time and money. The scheme, which is described in the latest issue of the Journal of Hydroinformatics, is currently being tested in 70 villages throughout Kenya in order to help thousands of families affected by the ongoing drought.

 

This is an elegant solution, though likely to add an additional layer of cost for installation and overall maintenance that small rural communities can ill afford. Smart water management systems must be practical, affordable and self-sustaining or they will forever be supported by outside aid, fostering an unhealthy dependency culture.

 

An integrated system that combines the ancient art of rainwater harvesting, together with boreholes coupled to hand pumps, would be more cost effective and self sustaining.

Rainwater harvesting, would not only complement the existing hand-pump technology, but mitigate the adverse effects of fluctuating water tables, which can lead to increased salinity or acidity of the water.

Rain water, can easily be collected from a roof and directed into a large container for storage. Containers are relatively cheap and easy to install.

 

We are currently liaising with our counter-parts in Southern Africa to help choose the ideal village for us to pilot our scheme. The village will be rebuilt from ground up, based around the concept of rain water harvesting. The design of each hut will be optimised to harvest rainwater and store it for each and every household, followed by a bigger system put in place to serve the entire village, with underground storage tanks, or covered water reservoirs,  and robust filtration systems, all built using local materials and labour. This means that initial installation costs will be high, but when this system is in place, the water will be free., and require very little treatment. Properly managed, such a system would be self sustaining and provide water all year round. It is an ambitious scheme that requires capital. Irrigation systems that limit evaporation and unnecessary absorption by the ground, limiting waste, will be run in tandem.

 

For areas where bore-holes are not an option, we intend to distribute Effervescent water purifying tablets. A single tablet will purify 5 gallons or 25 litres of water, perfect for drinking or food preparation and general domestic use. The alternative would be for them to boil the water first before consumption, which requires fuel, forcing these communities to chop down trees and more likely lead to deforestation. The dream and promise of piped water is not a given for many rural communities.

 

Water is no luxury. It is a precious resource that ought to be preserved and the know how shared.

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