Understanding handpump sustainability: Determinants of rural water source functionality in theGreaterAframPlains region ofGhana

Abstract

Safe drinking water is critical to human health and development. In rural sub‐Saharan Africa, most improved water sources are boreholes with handpumps; studies suggest that up to one third of these handpumps are nonfunctional at any given time. This work presents findings from a secondary analysis of cross‐sectional data from 1509 water sources in 570 communities in the rural Greater Afram Plains (GAP) region of Ghana; one of the largest studies of its kind. 79.4% of enumerated water sources were functional when visited; in multivariable regressions, functionality depended on source age, management, tariff collection, the number of other sources in the community, and the district. A Bayesian network (BN) model developed using the same data set found strong dependencies of functionality on implementer, pump type, management, and the availability of tools, with synergistic effects from management determinants on functionality, increasing the likelihood of a source being functional from a baseline of 72% to more than 97% with optimal management and available tools. We suggest that functionality may be a dynamic equilibrium between regular breakdowns and repairs, with management a key determinant of repair rate. Management variables may interact synergistically in ways better captured by BN analysis than by logistic regressions. These qualitative findings may prove generalizable beyond the study area, and may offer new approaches to understanding and increasing handpump functionality and safe water access.

Indicators of improved water access in the context of schistosomiasis transmission in rural Eastern Region, Ghana

“…In a Ghanaian study, functionality rate of water sources was higher at 79.4% (Fisher et al, 2015). The literature suggests that functionality and sustainability of rural water supplies are enhanced by local revenue generation through water user fees (Rogers et al, 2002; Montgomery et al, 2009).…”

Sustainability of Community Based Water Projects: Dynamics of Actors’ Power Relations

“…Furthermore, institutional participation is also vital in assuring sustainability of water project (Kleemeier, 2000). Harvey and Reed (2004) associates un-sustainability of the water projects with poor maintenance and operations of the systems.…”

“…Furthermore, institutional participation is a vital in assuring sustainability of water project (Kleemeier, 2000). Harvey and Reed (2004) associates un-sustainability of the water projects with poor maintenance and operations of the systems. In practice, the pursuit of sustainability is fundamentally a local effort because every community has different social, economic, and environmental needs and concerns.…”

Evaluating Mobile Survey Tools (MSTs) for Field-Level Monitoring and Data Collection: Development of a Novel Evaluation Framework, and Application to MSTs for Rural Water and Sanitation Monitoring

“…The widespread availability and decreasing cost of mobile devices make mobile data collection an attractive option for many programs. Information and communications technologies (ICTs) such as smartphones, tablets, basic phones, and other mobile devices, in combination with wireless networks and software programs and applications for field data collection, can comprise useful mobile survey tools (MSTs) for collecting, aggregating, and analyzing field-level data to improve the effectiveness of many types of operations, including national and international development work [1,2,3,4,5,6] in general, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) programs [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15] in particular. Such data can aid in more effective decision-making to enhance program impact.…”

“…Such tools have found widespread use in international and national development sectors, with health [16,17,18], agriculture [3,19,20], and microfinance [21] applications, and are now being employed in the WaSH sector as well. WaSH applications have included water point mapping [9,12], as well as tracking water point functionality and service levels [10,13,14,15], and in some cases have led to substantial adjustments in reported service and coverage levels [5]. Furthermore, MSTs can make higher quantities and quality of data available to a variety of stakeholders far more rapidly than has been the case with paper-based tools [6,7,11], can integrate GPS coordinates, images, and other data types with text and numerical survey data, and can often pay for themselves through gains in operational efficiency [5].…”