This new Oxfam report about water supply in Sierra Leone questions current draft policy prescriptions that place heavy reliance on high-tech hand pumps to supply safe water to communities, and recommends that a wider menu of low-tech options should be piloted. It suggests that a broader approach is likely to be more sustainable, and to boost demand, if it uses technologies that are within the capacity of poor communities to operate and maintain. At the same time, and drawing on WaterAid's experience in Mozambique, the report says that the expectation for communities to pay for 100% of operation and maintenance costs is not realistic, sustainable or equitable, unless the technology offered is appropriately simple. It urges donors to build government capacity at local level to do those repairs that are beyond the capacity of communities, and to spot contamination problems. The report also says that health education is a crucial component of water supply development; without this, even the safest water is rapidly contaminated at household level.

Authors

Magrath, John

Publication date

03 Apr 2006

Publisher

Oxfam GB

Series

Oxfam Research Reports

Type

Research report

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