Ethiopian aid Rural Water Supply project )

by Mr Zegeye Asefa

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Problem To be Addressed: Potable Water Supply for poor people in Rural Area of Darara
Profile of the Applicant Organization
The Bale Integrated Rural Development Association (BIRDA) is a local NGO established in 2004. Its mission is to work with the most vulnerable rural population to improve the quality of their lives through projects aimed at improving social services. BIRDA is registered with the Oromia Region Bureau of Justice (BoJ) in December 2004.
The association operates in the Bale Zone. There are no local NGOs in this isolated area of the project and some educated members of the Zone, including the zonal water resources office staff with an expertise in water engineering, established the BIRDA to fill the critical gap in the delivery of basic services for their people. The sectoral focus of BIRDA is on support to Rural Water Supply, Primary Health Care, and Education. The main activities of BIRDA include development of various schemes to create access to potable water supply, include: a) construction of Roof Water Catchments and Reservoirs on community buildings such as schools, mosques, b) construction of Hand-Dug wells; and, c) spring development ( includes spring eye-protection, construction of community water fountains, washing basins, installation of tapes, and e) training and capacity building to Community Water Technicians (CoWTs) and Community Water Management Committees (CoWMCs). The BIRDA sees social services delivery to the poor as central to its work in Bale Zone and consequently is keen to engage with other development partenrs in the area.
BIRDA employs the professional services of the founders and relevant local government offices for its project. In addition, to its own secretriat staff based in Robe town of Bale zone, BIRDA builds on the experience of its board members, most of whom are also involved in support the organization in parttime. We would like to highlight some the profile of BIRDA’s board members. BIRDA would have never existed without the inspiration of Ato Abdulhady Haji Mohammed, who is now a board member of BIRDA. Ato Abdulhady has over 12 years relevant work experiences in project design, appraisal, monitoring and evaluation as well as management of various donor funds .He is currently working for Chemonics International, a US-based contractor of USAID projects in Ethiopia as Implementation Funds Manager. Prior to this, he worked in Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) in Ethiopia. He also worked with CARE International, ACORD (a UK-based Consortium of NGOs in Ethiopia), and HelpAge International in various capacities. Abdulhady holds a B.Sc. Degree in Agricultural Economics and is currently completing his M.Sc. Degree in the same field of study.
Another important board member of BIRDA is Ato Jeylan Wolyie Hussein. Jeylan, with two masters degrees in Education, is an Assistant Professor of Education at the Faculty of Education at Alemaya University. Mr. Jeylan joined BIRDA at mid-year to design projects, serve as advisory board member, and represent the organization on relevant project issues related to his research and development interest. Mr. Jeylan has extensive research experience in education and cultural areas. He has a keen interest in educational policy analysis and research. He has published widely on the same areas in international referred journals. He is currently a member of OSSREA, an organization for Social Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, and a member of Advisory Board of the International Journal of Progressive Education. Presently he is teaching and training at the Haramaya University, the Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. In the same university he served as Assistant Dean of Students and now is the University’s Public and External Relations Head.
In the field of water supply and sanitation Ato Abdurahim Hassen Jawi, is an experienced water engineer, who is also a member of BIRDA. Abdurahim is currently working with the Bale Zone Water Resources Development Office. Previously he was the manager of the same office, and served the office at different other capacities (please see the details in the attached C.V.). Mr. Abdurahim has a B.Sc. Degree in Water Engineering and has been awarded different certificates from various national and international training and research Institutions.
The BIRDA Borad Members meet regularly to discuss progress and development of BIRDA and its activities.
With a funding it secured from the Canadian Embassy, BIRDA has implemented earlier in 2004/05, a Water Supply through Roof Catchments project, which is now providing potable water supply to over 150 households succesffully. The need for this project arose from the success of earlier roofcatchment project and the exisiting huge need in the area for similar projects.
In addition, regarding this pahse of the project, BIRDA conducted a needs assessmentd with the target community and consulted with a range of other stakeholders including community leaders in the focus villages. This revealled historical constraints to safe water supply in the area, charactorizing it with immense needs yet to be met.
Brief description of the project
3.1 Project Location
This project focuses on Darara Farmers Association (FA), Gololcha Woreda in Bale zone. This FA was chosen for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is historically highly marginalized and under-served. It lacks the most basic social services including access roads, health facilities, and water supply services. Secondly, BIRDA has experience in the neighboring Karra-Magane FA through its previous roof catchments and reservoir project implementation, which revealed the possibilities for addressing appropriately the critical needs for water supply in the area through roof catchments in sustainable manner. Finally, the FA was chose on the basis criteria agreed by the project partners and the Woreda administration.
3.2 Project Duration
This project is planned to run from December 2006-June 2007. This timeframe is necessary for the following reasons:
firstly, it allows for finalizing agreement with the concerned Bureaus;
Organizing and conduct mmunity sensetization actiities;
Establih project Structures;
Implimentation of training and capacity building activities;
Procure project materials and;
Impliment other project activities.
3.3 Project Justifications
Bale zone, where the project target area, the Darara Farmers’ Association (FA) is located IN Bale zone. It has good agricultural potential. However, both the zone and the target area are historically highly marginalized, and under-served. It lacks the most basic social services such as asphalt roads, access to potable water supply etc.
The needs assessment conducted by the BIRDA in consultation with the target groups and community leaders in the focus Farmers’ Association (FA) of Darara revealed that potable water supply in the area is constrained by absence of ground water potentials. As a result, access to clean water has been the most crucial need of the residents in Darara, where 100% of the population draws drinking water from heavily polluted sources including ponds, intermittent streams, and traditional wells, dug by hand in the riverbeds. All of these sources are not only unprotected but also are located far away from villages. For women, on average water fetching involves traveling of 14 Km and for most of them the fetching of water involves arduous, heavy workload and much of the time available for local women and girls each day.
In the absence of ground water potential, the problem can only be addressed through appropriate rainwater harvesting means. In line with the reality of the target area, the project at hand intends to address the problems of safe and accessible water supply in Darara through construction of roof catchments for additional months of the year. In rural areas of Bale zone, despite the severity of water problem and existence of favourable conditions such as buildings with CIS roofs including schools, clinics and mosques, water harvesting through roof catchments is not mainly practiced for the purpose of community water supply. The project is carefully designed and it involves construction of roof catchments on a building of a local farmers Training Center (FTC) and a water reservoir beneath it. The roofs of the FTC provides an area of 400m2 of surface for the catchments of the rainwater. With an annual rainfall of 1134 mm in the locality, the project holder estimates that the roof catchment can enable the harvesting of 362,000 litters of rainwater in a year from the roofs of the FTC. However, the reserviour is capable of holding 50m3 at a time. For the target population 150 households with family size of 750 people this amount of water can provide safe drinking water for three months of the dry period in a year.
As the project will be the one of its kind in the area, according to BIRDA, it has resulted in an eagerness of all stakeholders to see potable water supply through roof catchments. It is hoped that the initiative could help as a demonstration. The project is also considered innovative because roof catchments have potentials to provide access to safe water supply while they also conserve rainwater, much of which is wasted in the target area.
Upon its completion this project offers a cost-effective response to health and development challenges facing poor people that result from the lack of safe water supplies, sanitation facilities and good hygiene practices. The project places a strong emphasis on developing partnership with and capacity building of local development management committees and collaboration with other government water sanitation and sector stakeholders through exchange of expertise and seeking other support. The initiative intends to enhance local water management committees in the key areas of the roof catchment management, gender equality and follow-up and monitoring, which are particularly important for the project.
Objectives of the Project
3.4.1 Wider Objectives
To enhance the health status of the target community in Darara Farmers’ Association, in Bale Zone through improved access to safe drinking water.
Specific Objectives
To create improved access of target communities to sustainable source of drinking water through construction of two roof catchments on two blocks of the Darara Farmers Training Centres ( FFTCs) and beneath it a Water Reservoir ;
To improve the access of target communities to adequate sanitation and hygiene facilities;
To enhance the participation of target community members in the development of their water supply scheme as well as sanitation and hygiene activities;
To strengthen the capacity of water management committees;
To train six Community Water Technicians in the repair and maintenance of the roof catchments and reservoir
Beneficiaries
The project targets population intends to provide pure water through roof catchments for 200 households consisting 1011 people who are located around the FTC; and,
Six women and men who will be trained as Community Water Technicians.
Expected Output
Two roof catchments built on gutters of two buildings of a local Farmers Training Centers (FTC) in Darara Village;
A water reservoir with 50m3 water holding capacity, is constructed beneath block of the FTC, and fitted with necessary structures.
Six Community Water Technicians (CWTs), of which three or 50% are women, trained in the maintenance of the roof-catchments;
A Water Management and Sanitation Committee, consisting of 6 persons of which 50% are women is organized and provided with water schemes management training;
200 households using the water provided with awareness on improved personal hygiene and environmental sanitation;
Outcomes
About 362,000 litters of rainwater harvested and conserved per year;
Reduced waterborne and poor sanitation related diseases;
Safe and protected water supply available to users at close proximity;
Water funds established and available for maintenance and repair;
Water point sites clean and well maintained;
Quick repair of facilities when they break;
Increased water use in each household;
Trained and active CWTs in the village;
Increased representation of women on water and sanitation committee;
Project Impact
Improved health status of the target community (due to reduced morbidity and mortality) for the Darara families who have access to safe water supply;
Impact on Environment
The project does not involve significant construction and as such has no undesirable impact on the local environment. This is mainly because the primary undertakings involved in the project installation and a small reservoir construction.
Impact on Women
Reduced walking distances for women for women fetching water;
Reduced work load for women and they have more time for other activities;
Increased participation and role of women in management, decision making and control of water supply scheme and water users funds;
Reduced workload of the girl children and improved enrolment of girls;
Project Activities
Community Sensitization
Before, the construction of the actual roof catchments, BIRDA shall organize and hold a Community Sensitization Workshop on the need for producers of safe water supply, sanitation and hygiene as well as the need for community-based management of the scheme.
To accomplish this sub-task BIRDA prepare awareness raising materials and in collaboration with the Woreda Water Resources Office. Following this it will, organize a seven-days community sensitization Workshop at Darara Megene village for 10 participants consisting. During the workshop, six farmers, consisting of three women, will be selected as members of the Water Management Committee from each village and provided with a special orientation on:
Community mobilization in fencing the scheme;
Follow up of the scheme implementation
Introduction of users fee in such a way that it would not be too high for the beneficiaries but would also enable them repair and maintain the scheme when needs arise;
Basic sanitation and hygiene practices;
Management of the Water Supply Scheme;
In addition, they will be encouraged to develop plans, written by laws;
Use of the fund to maintain/repair the scheme when needed;
Conflict resolution ( as the water , etc), and,
Record keeping.
Establishment and Strengthening Community Water Management Committees
BIRDA will help establish a Community Water Management Committees (CoWMCs) consisting of six members, of which 50% are women. The members of the committee will be formed drawn from all villages benefiting from the scheme as well as the local elders. The committee will represent the wider community and will meet atleast once in a week. The committee will make regualr follow up and monitoring at a community level both during and after implimentations.
BIRDA will provide the CoWMCs with awareness and training in basic community water supply management including record keeping and supervision of sanitary aspects of the water points. In addition, in order to address the challenges posed in relation to the maintenances funds, users fee will be fixed and introduced by the committee in discussion with the users.
The other important role of the CoWMCs will be mobilizing the community resources and lanbour for fencing the fencing of the resorvior area and awlways keeping it tidy and safe. This is because, unless well protected, the water from reservoirs can be exposed to pollution, as a result of which waterborne diseases could affect the population. In addThe community will contribute construction material, labor, and fence around the reservoir. The role of the CoWMCs will be to encourage proper and responsible use of the water. This will ensure the availability of clean and adequate water and reduce pollution and the incidence of waterborne diseases.
Undertake Other Roof Cathment Activities
The remaining roof catchment and resorviour construction activities are mainly of technical types and they remain within the domain of BIRDA. Major technical activities to be implimented, as well as those mentioned above, are summarized below together with a proposed timeframe:
Table: Summary of major roofactchment and resorvior construction activities and timeframe
S/N Activities Schedules
1 Finalize agreement with concerned Bureaus 2008/(9)
2 Organize community sensitization workshop
3 Select of Water Management Committees
4 Provide Orientation and training to CommunityWater Management Committees
5 Recruit skilled workers
6 Procure and Supply Construction materials
7 Construction of the Roof Catchments and the reservoir
8 Select and train community water technicians
9 Fencing of the Reservoir area
10 Monitoring and Supervision
11 Official Handover of the Water Supply Scheme to the Users
Types and Methods of Training
Two types of training (Water Management and Maintenance and repair) will be given to the target groups by experts from the zonal water resource office. The following are the planned ones:
1. Training in joint water management
Target Group: Water Management Committee
Objective: To identify joint activities for better water management.
Expected outputs
· Identify water management related activities, where farmers’ cooperation needs to be improved.
· Identify what is needed to improve farmers’ cooperation.
· Assessment of the farmers’ interest in more formalized farmers’ cooperation (Water Users Association(WUA) or Water Users Group (WUG))
Materials required
· Large sheets of paper and markers.
Time required
· Two and half-hours.
Methods
Participatory training methods will be employed for the delivery of the training include: (1) Plenary Introduction of the need and explaining of the specific objectives and expected output by the facilitator. (2) Brainstorming (for 30 min), in which participants will be asked to identify all water management related activities in which their increased cooperation could have a positive impact. Then the activities mentioned will be listed and discussed shortly to take out the duplicates and decide on the final list. (3) Small group discussion (50 min). Here the trainees will be asked to discuss in small groups (4-5 persons) what kind of farmers’ cooperation is needed for each activity listed and finally they will be asked to present the results of their discussions.
Eventually, there will be a plenary discussion (1 hour) to discuss the different cooperations required of farmers; identify what is needed to obtain these required farmers’ cooperations. Finally, the agreed upon cooperations will be summarized and the training closed.
2. Maintenance and repair training to Community Water Technicians (CoWTs)
BIRDA will provide orientation and training to Six Community Water Technicians (CoWTs) in the necessary maintenances of the roof catchments including the gutters and the reservoir in similar manner.
3. The Hygine Aspects of the reservior
During the first rainy season, the reserviour will be cleaned . In addition, significant amount of the first shower will be left to drain off to ensure the unhygine materials accumumlated during the dry season will be cleaned and not pollute the water. Hence, the community water management will be provided on adequate awareness of the importance of this hygenic aspect for the health of the population as well as the potential risks. On the other hand, in order to drain off the waste materials from the rooves, during the first rains the gutter the manhole of the gutter will be opened to let out the dirts.
Management and Reporting
We see this project running on an eight months basis( December 2006-Februry 2007). BIRDA, will have overall responsibilities for ensuring the proper implimentation of this project at FA level with the close involvement of the community and the relevant government Water Resources Development Bureaue . An Farmers’ Association level development committee will be formed drawn from all villages benefiting from the scheme as well as the local elders. The committee will represent the wider community and will meet atleast once in a week. The committee will make regualr follow up and monitoring at a community level.
The project implimentation will be managed on day-to-day basis by the BIRDA project coordinator, who recives supervision and support from the BIRDA programme manager.
Sustainability
Sustainability of water supply schemes remains one of the great challenges for most water supply schemes in rural Ethiopia. This is mainly because of the fact that sustainability of such schemes is largely dependant on timely maintenances and repairs, which is the function of a smooth transfer of skills and responsibilities to the target groups. The roof catchment’s structure is so simple that it won’t require complex training. However, BIRDA will provide orientation and training to Six Community Water Technicians (CoWTs) in the necessary maintenances of the roof catchments including the gutters and the reservoir. In Addition, BIRDA will support the community establish a Community Water Management Committees (CoWMCs) and provide them with training and awareness in basic community water supply management including record keeping and supervision of sanitary aspects of the water points. In addition, in order to address the challenges posed in relation to the maintenances funds, users fee will be fixed and introduced by the users. The CoWMCs will be provided training on record keeping. Therefore, with the Water Management Committee, CoWTs, and Users Fee in place, the community will be able to internalize the administration and maintenance costs smoothly.