Comparative performance evaluation of handpump water-supply technologies in northern Kenya and The Gambia

Foster, T; McSorley, B; Willetts, J

Comparative performance evaluation of handpump water-supply technologies in northern Kenya and The Gambia

Foster, T

McSorley, B Willetts, J

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Hydrogeology Journal, 2019, 27 (2), pp. 535 - 551
Issue Date:: 2019-03-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Foster, T https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1738-3450	en_US
dc.contributor.author	McSorley, B	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Willetts, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3975-9642	en_US
dc.date.available	2018-08-29	en_US
dc.date.issued	2019-03-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Hydrogeology Journal, 2019, 27 (2), pp. 535 - 551	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	1431-2174	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134988
dc.description.abstract	© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Safe drinking water for all is unlikely to be achieved without major improvements in the sustainability of rural water supplies in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite heavy dependence on groundwater across the African continent, there is little empirical evidence on the relative reliability of different water-lifting technologies. This study comparatively evaluated the operational performance of the BluePump against the Afridev, India Mark II and PB Mark II handpumps. The field assessment took place in Turkana County (northern Kenya) and The Gambia, contexts with contrasting environmental, social and institutional characteristics. When controlling for other variables, in both study sites the BluePump had significantly lower odds of a breakdown occurring over a 12-month period compared with other handpumps. The BluePump also had significantly lower odds of a nonfunctional status relative to the Afridev in Turkana, though no significant effect on functionality was observed relative to the India Mark II in either study site or the PB Mark II in The Gambia. In Turkana, the impact of fewer breakdowns on operational uptime and point-in-time functionality may have been moderated by a subsidised maintenance service for which communities pay a fixed annual fee irrespective of handpump type and breakdown frequency. In The Gambia, the BluePump had significantly longer breakdowns than Mark II handpumps because of a problematic maintenance model. The results indicate that technological innovations such as the BluePump can lead to operational improvements, but technology alone is no panacea and the long-term sustainability of water supplies ultimately depends upon the effectiveness of maintenance services.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Hydrogeology Journal	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1007/s10040-018-1865-4	en_US
dc.subject.classification	Environmental Engineering	en_US
dc.title	Comparative performance evaluation of handpump water-supply technologies in northern Kenya and The Gambia	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	2	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	27	en_US
utslib.for	0406 Physical Geography and Environmental Geoscience	en_US
utslib.for	0907 Environmental Engineering	en_US
utslib.for	04 Earth Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	09 Engineering	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/DVC (Research)/Institute For Sustainable Futures
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - ISF - Institute for Sustainable Futures
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	2	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	27	en_US

Abstract:

© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Safe drinking water for all is unlikely to be achieved without major improvements in the sustainability of rural water supplies in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite heavy dependence on groundwater across the African continent, there is little empirical evidence on the relative reliability of different water-lifting technologies. This study comparatively evaluated the operational performance of the BluePump against the Afridev, India Mark II and PB Mark II handpumps. The field assessment took place in Turkana County (northern Kenya) and The Gambia, contexts with contrasting environmental, social and institutional characteristics. When controlling for other variables, in both study sites the BluePump had significantly lower odds of a breakdown occurring over a 12-month period compared with other handpumps. The BluePump also had significantly lower odds of a nonfunctional status relative to the Afridev in Turkana, though no significant effect on functionality was observed relative to the India Mark II in either study site or the PB Mark II in The Gambia. In Turkana, the impact of fewer breakdowns on operational uptime and point-in-time functionality may have been moderated by a subsidised maintenance service for which communities pay a fixed annual fee irrespective of handpump type and breakdown frequency. In The Gambia, the BluePump had significantly longer breakdowns than Mark II handpumps because of a problematic maintenance model. The results indicate that technological innovations such as the BluePump can lead to operational improvements, but technology alone is no panacea and the long-term sustainability of water supplies ultimately depends upon the effectiveness of maintenance services.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/134988