Malawi has an estimated population of 18 millions of which 80% live in rural areas and generally practice subsistence, rain-fed agriculture.
90% of improved rural water supplies in Malawi are boreholes or shallow wells equipped with hand pumps, vast majority are Afridev pumps, and some Malda in certain districts…). There are few piped gravity fed schemes (GFS).
Coverage of improved water supplies in rural Malawi is estimated to be 84% (UN Statistics Division – MDG indicators). However, it is estimated that 30% of the improved rural water points are not functioning, thus effective coverage is reduced to 60%. see also here
To improve this functioning ratio, some Operation and Maintenance (O&M) have been undertaken in Malawi since 1999. Maintenance can be differentiated between rehabilitation, repairs, or preventive maintenance (servicing) – see dedicated note on Pratiques website.
Inter Aide and its local partners – the local NGO BASEDA (operating in Lilongwe, Dedza and Ntcheu districts) and its branch for the South region TIMMS (Zomba, Chiradzulu, Mulanje, Machinga) – implemented, trained and are following in coordination with local institutions – District Water Office (DWO) and District Councils – networks of hand pump technicians (Area Mechanics) and networks of hand pumps spare parts retailers.
In 2020, it’s 540 AM and 186 shops that are providing maintenance services. The map above shows where these projects are now present (Click on it to enlarge it). They are covering an area that represents more than 33 000 boreholes or shallow wells and potential 8 250 000 potential users of these services.
In Salima, the monitoring & evaluation of the Area Mechanics is under transfer to the technicians of the Water Department (DWO and the Water Monitoring Assistants – WMAs).
Previsions of extensions to additional districts is on going.
The supply chain is becoming independent. If up to 2012, shops could refill their stocks by buying spare parts to Inter Aide when a monitoring visit was done, progressively various options are put in place:
- Shops owners are in direct link with suppliers. Indeed, with the upscale and increase of districts targeted, the demand became interesting enough for suppliers to sale spare parts in details and not only a full set of pump.
- Smaller shops of the network are passing through an intermediary shop in link with supplier.
This video is illustrating the challenges related to access to water and water points maintenance.
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