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Showing posts with label millennium development goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label millennium development goals. Show all posts
Friday, February 18, 2011
Malaria World Latest Research Listing
Friday, December 31, 2010
Australian Volunteers International: A Comprehensive Approach Required
A Comprehensive Approach Required
With only five years remaining until the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target date of 2015, Dr Alison Morgan from the Nossal Institute for Global Health writes about the increasing attention being paid to MDG5.
MDG 5 aims to provide access to reproductive health services for all women, and reduce the number of maternal deaths by 75 per cent. (1)
Of all the MDGs, MDG5 is making the least progress.
Maternal mortality is a significant marker of inequity in health; half a million women die each year as a result of complications of pregnancy and childbirth, and 99 per cent of these deaths occur in developing countries (2)So what makes reducing maternal deaths so difficult? And why, when many have been working to improve the health of women, is this goal so hard to attain? Improving maternal health is complex as it is the product of a range of determinants including the status of women, their access to family planning and antenatal services, support at the community level for safer deliveries, and the effectiveness of the health system.
These determinants have guided responses to the problem of poor maternal health and there is consensus that a continuum of care approach is required.
Young women need to have access to education and good nutrition.
They need to be able to choose whether and when they become pregnant, and they need to receive quality antenatal, delivery and postnatal care, with access to emergency obstetric services should they need it. As most deaths occur at the time of delivery, there has been a significant focus on the provision of quality obstetric services by scaling up the number of trained health workers, thereby increasing the number of woman delivering with a skilled birth attendant. Currently some 60 million women deliver every year without skilled assistance.
In 2005, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated there was a global shortfall of over 133,000 midwives. (3)
While it is true that most deliveries occur without complications, most emergencies
cannot be predicted. Consequently every woman needs to be able to access emergency care at the time of delivery, if she should require it. And for those who do deliver at home, if and when an emergency does occur, every step in the path to receiving care has to be working if we are to prevent a maternal death.
cannot be predicted. Consequently every woman needs to be able to access emergency care at the time of delivery, if she should require it. And for those who do deliver at home, if and when an emergency does occur, every step in the path to receiving care has to be working if we are to prevent a maternal death.
At the time of the complication, a mother and her family need to be able to recognise the need for care and to get to a health facility quickly. The facility needs to be prepared to manage the complication, which may require anaesthesia, a caesarian and possibly a blood transfusion. All of these components need to be working well, and, as there is the chance of the emergency happening at night, such care needs to be available 24 hours a day. Delays can occur at any of these steps in the pathway to quality care - recognising the need for care, being able to reach the care, and then receiving the appropriate care at the health facility.
Delaying care for women with complicated deliveries also contributes to significant disability for women, as for every maternal death, another 20 women are left with injuries that may result in ongoing pain, infertility or, in the case of obstetric fistula, devastating social exclusion.
However, it is not sufficient to focus on the health system alone, and there are many strategies to support those deliveries that still occur at home. The important role of mothers, their families, and traditional birth attendants in contributing to better maternal health, overlooked for many years, is being increasingly recognised. Simple interventions, such as highlighting the needs of mothers and newborns in monthly mothers' group meetings, have been shown to reduce newborn deaths. (4)
Implementing clean delivery practices, and providing community access to drugs such as misoprostol, which reduces the amount of bleeding after a delivery, can reduce deaths from sepsis and haemorrhage.
The important role played by cultural beliefs and practices associated with delivery has been substantially overlooked and even ignored in the past, but this is also beginning to change.
So where has progress been made and what role can volunteers contribute towards the achievement of MDG5?
Nepal provides some interesting lessons. This country has recently emerged from 10 years of civil conflict where there was disruption of already stretched health services, yet Nepal's maternal mortality ratio (MMR) almost halved from 539 per 100,000 live births in 2001 to 281 in 2006. (5)
In the same period, the number of women who had a skilled birth attendant did not change from a very low 18 percent. In that time, however, women's literacy levels and other indicators of empowerment improved. Family planning services were more accessible and the total fertility rate dropped. Abortion services were legalised and made available in all 75 districts.
There were many initiatives supported by INGOs and government agencies to mobilise communities to recognise the importance of care during pregnancy and delivery. The consequent reduction in MMR highlights what is possible where emergency obstetric services might be lagging.
Nepal has also introduced a range of innovative strategies to improve access to and the quality of care provided by the health system. Women who travel to a health facility for their delivery are now given money to cover transport costs, and since 2009, all delivery care in government hospitals has been free. Currently, a program to train an additional 12,000 midwives to provide the required skilled birth attendance is underway. In fact, Nepal is one of a very few countries that may reach their MDG5 target with this comprehensive approach.
Volunteers can make an important contribution to the achievement of MDG5.
They can train skilled health workers, work with communities to raise awareness of the care required during pregnancy and delivery, as well as promote the rights of women. Maternal mortality is a marker of both gender inequity and health system weakness, and improvements are only possible where governments, donors and development partners work to ensure that all women have access to comprehensive reproductive health care throughout their lives.
Footnotes
1 Compared to 1990 rates
2 UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html
3 WHO 2005 World Health Report: Make Every Woman and Child Count
4 Manandhar D, Osrin D, Shrestha B, et al. 2004 Effect of a participatory intervention with women's groups on birth outcomes in Nepal: cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet 364: 970-79
5 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys 2001 and 2006
2 UNICEF http://www.unicef.org/health/index_maternalhealth.html
3 WHO 2005 World Health Report: Make Every Woman and Child Count
4 Manandhar D, Osrin D, Shrestha B, et al. 2004 Effect of a participatory intervention with women's groups on birth outcomes in Nepal: cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet 364: 970-79
5 Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys 2001 and 2006
About Dr Alison Morgan
Dr Alison Morgan has over 20 years' experience in international health in the fields of maternal health, primary health care and child and adolescent health.
She has developed curricula in maternal health for health workers in Tibet and Indonesia, and teaches postgraduate students in the Masters of Public Health at the University of Melbourne and Monash University.
She has supervised research on maternal health needs in two states of India, and for three years was the safe motherhood adviser on an AusAID bilateral project in Tibet.
She has worked in curriculum design and health workforce capacity building across eight counties of Asia, and heads the Education and Learning Unit of the Nossal Institute for Global Health at the University of Melbourne.
She is on the steering committee for the Gates/AusAID-funded multicountry investment case to reach MDGs 4 and 5 for the Asia Pacific, and a member of the technical advisory panel for the AusAID-funded Women's and Children's Knowledge Hub.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
The Millennium Development Goals In Action: Part VIII (Create A Global Partnership)
The Millennium Development Goals In Action: Part VIII
Create a Global Partnership
We hear much about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but just exactly what are they and what are some real life examples?
Our eight part series, The MDGs in Action, looks at real life examples of each goal and the people working to achieve them.
MDG Goal 8: Create A Global Partnership
A Programme In Action: Oxfam
Your Action: Support , 'Like' on Facebook, Tweet or Donate.
MDG 8: Global partnership for development
Since 1999 poor countries benefiting from debt cancellation have more than doubled the total sum that they invest in fighting poverty.This overarching MDG is central to the achievement of the other goals. It addresses the special needs of the least developed countries, from new states to landlocked countries and small islands. It stresses the need to develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, fair-trading and financial system. It also demands that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications, are made widely available.Unfortunately, there are only sporadic indications that the developed world is rising to this challenge. Most of the financial aid that rich countries have been pledging to the developing world has not materialized.Commitments made in 2005 to increase aid by $50bn by 2010 will be missed by as much as $20bn. Promises to invest more in healthcare and end hunger remain way off track – with both rich and poor countries falling short of their commitments. Only five donor countries - Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden - have reached the UN target for official aid.Use of information and communications technology continues to grow worldwide, but access to the World Wide Web is still closed to the majority of the world’s people. By the end of 2008, 23 per cent of the world’s population was using the Internet. But in developing countries, only 1 in 6 people were online.
OXFAM: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Target 8.A:
Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction – both nationally and internationally
Target 8.B:
Address the special needs of the least developed countries
Includes: tariff and quota free access for the least developed countries' exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous ODA for countries committed to poverty reduction
Target 8.C:
Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly)
Target 8.D:
Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
Some of the indicators listed below are monitored separately for the least developed countries (LDCs), Africa, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.
Official development assistance (ODA)
8.1 Net ODA, total and to the least developed countries, as percentage of OECD/DAC donors’ gross national income
Market access
8.6 Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and least developed countries, admitted free of duty
Debt sustainability
8.10 Total number of countries that have reached their HIPC decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative)
Target 8.E:
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
8.13 Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis
Target 8.F:
In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications
8.14 Telephone lines per 100 population
Success Stories
In many countries, UNDP already has a long history of working with governments on activities that connect different social and economic sectors. In Yemen, the Government turned to the UN system for assistance with an MDG assessment...
Yemen's latest national development strategy integrates all key issues related to achieving the MDGs, and contains precise targets and specific actions on priorities such as economic growth, access to safe drinking water and girls' education.
Source: http://www.oxfam.org/en/campaigns/health-education/millennium-development-goals
We hear much about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but just exactly what are they and what are some real life examples?
Our eight part series, The MDGs in Action, looks at real life examples of each goal and the people working to achieve them.
MDG Goal 8: Create A Global Partnership
A Programme In Action: Oxfam
Your Action: Support , 'Like' on Facebook, Tweet or Donate.
MDG 8: Global partnership for development
Since 1999 poor countries benefiting from debt cancellation have more than doubled the total sum that they invest in fighting poverty.
This overarching MDG is central to the achievement of the other goals. It addresses the special needs of the least developed countries, from new states to landlocked countries and small islands. It stresses the need to develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, fair-trading and financial system. It also demands that the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications, are made widely available.
Unfortunately, there are only sporadic indications that the developed world is rising to this challenge. Most of the financial aid that rich countries have been pledging to the developing world has not materialized.
Commitments made in 2005 to increase aid by $50bn by 2010 will be missed by as much as $20bn. Promises to invest more in healthcare and end hunger remain way off track – with both rich and poor countries falling short of their commitments. Only five donor countries - Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden - have reached the UN target for official aid.
Use of information and communications technology continues to grow worldwide, but access to the World Wide Web is still closed to the majority of the world’s people. By the end of 2008, 23 per cent of the world’s population was using the Internet. But in developing countries, only 1 in 6 people were online.
OXFAM: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
Target 8.A:
Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
Includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction – both nationally and internationally
Target 8.B:
Address the special needs of the least developed countries
Includes: tariff and quota free access for the least developed countries' exports; enhanced programme of debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) and cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous ODA for countries committed to poverty reduction
Target 8.C:
Address the special needs of landlocked developing countries and small island developing States (through the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly)
Target 8.D:
Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures in order to make debt sustainable in the long term
Some of the indicators listed below are monitored separately for the least developed countries (LDCs), Africa, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States.
Official development assistance (ODA)
8.1 Net ODA, total and to the least developed countries, as percentage of OECD/DAC donors’ gross national income
8.2 Proportion of total bilateral, sector-allocable ODA of OECD/DAC donors to basic social services (basic education, primary health care, nutrition, safe water and sanitation)
8.3 Proportion of bilateral official development assistance of OECD/DAC donors that is untied
8.4 ODA received in landlocked developing countries as a proportion of their gross national incomes
8.5 ODA received in small island developing States as a proportion of their gross national incomes
Market access
8.6 Proportion of total developed country imports (by value and excluding arms) from developing countries and least developed countries, admitted free of duty
8.7 Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on agricultural products and textiles and clothing from developing countries
8.8 Agricultural support estimate for OECD countries as a percentage of their gross domestic product
8.9 Proportion of ODA provided to help build trade capacity
Debt sustainability
8.10 Total number of countries that have reached their HIPC decision points and number that have reached their HIPC completion points (cumulative)
8.11 Debt relief committed under HIPC and MDRI Initiatives
8.12 Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and services
Target 8.E:
In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries
8.13 Proportion of population with access to affordable essential drugs on a sustainable basis
Target 8.F:
In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications
8.14 Telephone lines per 100 population
8.15 Cellular subscribers per 100 population
8.16 Internet users per 100 population
Success Stories
In many countries, UNDP already has a long history of working with governments on activities that connect different social and economic sectors. In Yemen, the Government turned to the UN system for assistance with an MDG assessment...
Yemen's latest national development strategy integrates all key issues related to achieving the MDGs, and contains precise targets and specific actions on priorities such as economic growth, access to safe drinking water and girls' education.
In many countries, UNDP already has a long history of working with governments on activities that connect different social and economic sectors. In Yemen, the Government turned to the UN system for assistance with an MDG assessment. Under the leadership of the Resident Coordinator, the UN agencies in Yemen worked closely together on a comprehensive programme of support. Each UN agency offered specialized skills-UNDP and the ILO on economic growth; UNDP on the environment, decentralization and gender; UNFPA and WHO on health and population; and the FAO and WFP on food security. Yemen's latest national development strategy, which began in 2006, draws extensively upon the results of the assessment. It integrates all key issues related to achieving the MDGs, and contains precise targets and specific actions on priorities such as economic growth, access to safe drinking water and girls' education. Yemen is now using the assessment for talks on membership with the Gulf Cooperation Council. Along with a public investment plan supported by UNDP, the assessment also became the basis for a council-sponsored donor conference in late 2006 that raised almost US$5 billion for Yemen's national development strategy.
UNDP works directly with national and multinational companies to reduce poverty and extend services to underdeveloped areas.
UNDP works directly with national and multinational companies to reduce poverty and extend services to underdeveloped areas. In Kenya, under the aegis of its global Growing Sustainable Business initiative, UNDP has established 10 partnership projects to help improve businesses and livelihoods. One project works with Kevian, a juice manufacturer. Until recently, it imported all the concentrates for its mango juice from abroad. Kenya is an ample producer of mangoes, but many rot on the ground due to poor harvesting and marketing systems. The Growing Sustainable Business initiative has worked with local farmers on improved harvesting, marketing and pest management procedures, and linked them to Kevian. The farmers have an opportunity to improve their livelihoods; Kevian benefits from greater flexibility in its supplies and protection from foreign exchange rate fluctuations. Combined, Kenya's 10 Growing Sustainable Business initiative projects are expected to generate over US$70 million in additional revenues and create thousands of jobs, reaching an estimated 42,000 beneficiaries.
Source: http://www.oxfam.org/en/campaigns/health-education/millennium-development-goals
The Millennium Development Goals In Action: Part VII (Ensure Environmental Sustainability)
The Millennium Development Goals In Action: Part VII
Ensure Environmental Sustainability
We hear much about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but just exactly what are they and what are some real life examples?
Our eight part series, The MDGs in Action, looks at real life examples of each goal and the people working to achieve them.
MDG Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
A Programme In Action:
Your Action: Support , 'Like' on Facebook, Tweet or Donate.
We hear much about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but just exactly what are they and what are some real life examples?
Our eight part series, The MDGs in Action, looks at real life examples of each goal and the people working to achieve them.
MDG Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
A Programme In Action:
Your Action: Support , 'Like' on Facebook, Tweet or Donate.
Ensure Environmental Sustainability
The seventh Millennium Development Goal is to ensure environmental sustainability. The goal is made up of four targets: integrate sustainable development principles into country practices and reverse the loss of environmental resources; reduce biodiversity loss; improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and; improve the lives of slum dwellers.
Sustainable Development
As countries in the Global South strive to acquire living standards equal to those in the Global North, the earth’s resources come under further strain. As such, it is imperative sustainable development practices are adopted and renewable energy sources explored. Thankfully, environmental sustainability has experienced an increased presence in public consciousness in recent years, with citizens pressuring governments to commit to carbon reduction targets and renewable energy investment. Major international efforts have been launched to address the issue – from the Kyoto Protocol to the Copenhagen Summit, to the grassroots People’s Conference on Climate Change in Bolivia this year.
On Track for Achievement
While the achievement of the goal faces some challenges, positive signs are emerging. The world is on track to meet the target of halving the proportion of the population with access to safe drinking water by 2015. The UN has reported that Latin America and Southern and Western Asia have already met or come close to meeting the target. Access to safe drinking water can significantly reduce the risk of death from water bourn diseases like cholera and typhoid fever.
Challenges
However, some specific challenges still need to be addressed. Slum populations continue to grow as migration to urban areas intensifies, with urban infrastructure failing to keep up. In addition, biodiversity is increasingly under threat in the Global South from the introduction of biotechnologies posed as the solution to food shortages.
The world’s poorest nations are most at risk from the threats of environmental degradation. Small island nations face rising sea levels, while poorer farmers are less able to cope with and adapt to drought.
It is imperative that international efforts to ensure environmental sustainability are continued.
Article written by Iona Salter
MDG 7: Improving access to safe drinking water in Kiribati
The UN set as its Millennium Development Goal 7: halving the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. UNCED and UN-Water have also set their theme forWorld Water Day 2010 (22 March): 'Communicating Water Quality Challenges and Opportunities'.
The Australian Water Association (AWA) is responding to this challenge. From 8-10 March, 2010 AWA will holdOzwater '10, a national water conference featuring "Achieving Water Security" as the headline theme. A free trade exhibition will also be hosted for over 200 Australian and international exhibitors and water industry professionals, and a workshop on the Water Utility Partnerships program will be co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank and AWA.
The Australian Water Association (AWA) is responding to this challenge. From 8-10 March, 2010 AWA will holdOzwater '10, a national water conference featuring "Achieving Water Security" as the headline theme. A free trade exhibition will also be hosted for over 200 Australian and international exhibitors and water industry professionals, and a workshop on the Water Utility Partnerships program will be co-hosted by the Asian Development Bank and AWA.
...and below, an AWA WASH Network member and Water and Sanitation Specialist from Winkfield Pty Ltd, Neil Kerby, shares a story on designing a reliable water supply for the people of Kiritmati Island, Republic of Kiribati.
A Case Study in improved water supply
Kiritimati (Christmas) Island in the Republic of Kiribati, is the world's biggest coral atoll, is 1.5 metres above sea level, and - only in an El Nino year - enjoys rainfall of about 3 metres. This abundance of 'water' - once every four years - was discovered by both United States and British presences in-country and a water supply system to service their militaries was set-up.
Large "lenses" of fresh groundwater were discovered and galleries were constructed. These were established in roofed shallow trenches that were pumped to elevated tanks and piped in asbestos cement pipes to various settlements. Over ensuing years 2,000 i-Kiribati established townships in the remnant infrastructure of London, Tabwakea, Banana, Poland and 'Main Camp'.
This is the story of transitioning the 50-year-old water supply system from military use to one fit for local habitation. Put simply: providing i-Kiribati people with access to safe drinking water.
From 1995, AusAID supported an extensive design process, and a later project to improve the water supply. The design involved interviews with local villagers about the performance of the ageing system, and their attitudes and expectations of the proposed water supply.
New fiberglass elevated tank at London village, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on right hand side)
Kiritimati (Christmas) Island in the Republic of Kiribati, is the world's biggest coral atoll, is 1.5 metres above sea level, and - only in an El Nino year - enjoys rainfall of about 3 metres. This abundance of 'water' - once every four years - was discovered by both United States and British presences in-country and a water supply system to service their militaries was set-up.
Large "lenses" of fresh groundwater were discovered and galleries were constructed. These were established in roofed shallow trenches that were pumped to elevated tanks and piped in asbestos cement pipes to various settlements. Over ensuing years 2,000 i-Kiribati established townships in the remnant infrastructure of London, Tabwakea, Banana, Poland and 'Main Camp'.
This is the story of transitioning the 50-year-old water supply system from military use to one fit for local habitation. Put simply: providing i-Kiribati people with access to safe drinking water.
From 1995, AusAID supported an extensive design process, and a later project to improve the water supply. The design involved interviews with local villagers about the performance of the ageing system, and their attitudes and expectations of the proposed water supply.
New fiberglass elevated tank at London village, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on right hand side)
- The feedback was:
• water tanks were scarce so families often drilled or modified the existing pipes to gain access to any water that passed through. This disrupted the water supply and usually meant those downstream - at the edges of villages - were left without water
• breakdowns were common, and access to the technical or material resources they needed to fix the breakdowns were also scarce
• all building materials were scarce - even palm trees failed to provide strong lumber due to their drought-stressed history of growth
• while any available material was salvaged and used, corrugated sheets that were intended to cover open groundwater galleries, had become materials for housing
• social co-operation was generally based around the head of a family unit, and the existing water supply system did not support this structure
• there was poor or no house plumbing which meant erratic access to water, or lengthy delays or travel to other water supplies and water's edge ablutions. Wind pump at Decca groundwater gallery, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on left hand side)
The design of the improved water system focused on a number of elements:
• Detailed re-mapping of water lenses, and estimation of yields to sustain the proposed 6,000 inhabitants between the irregular rainfalls
- An allowance/ provision was made for 50 litres per head for people in villages with access to shallow wells and 67 litres for London-town residents whose wells were salty (0.5m above sea level)
• Buried shallow 400m long slotted pipe galleries to encourage groundwater to run gently to pits where wind and solar driven pumps to lift it to elevated tanks
• Solar powered chlorination (sodium hypochlorite) at each gallery. Chlorine detention of 24 hours to kill Giardia - a small single cell parasite that could cause diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss
• PVC and high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe - trunk mains to each village (removing the former asbestos cement pipes) with another elevated fiberglass (day) tank
• Placement of a 500 litre day tank on a 3 metre stand at each dwelling. This tank broke the higher transfer pressure, gave 24 hours to satisfy demand and a day's back-up if the system broke down.
The design approach was subsequently adopted across the Republic of Kiribati and especially in Tarawa, where keeping pace with demand had also led to interference with the pipe system and supply failures to the edges of the networks.
Solar pump at Decca groundwater gallery, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on right hand side)
Feedback from i-Kiribati residents has been positive.
In 2007 a senior bureaucrat in Tarawa, Kiribati stated that, "the Kiritimati Island water supply was now the best in the Republic". A site visit to South Tarawa and elsewhere also bears witness to the reliability and use of water by i-Kirbati residents. They are using the household fibreglass tanks at ground level for daily supply - with the village day tank at each village and a rotating fill sequence to each village's tankstand.
A decade on, this water concept appears to still be working - and making a difference to everyday i-Kiribati lives.
Corroded military tank stand London, Neil Kerby, 1999 (see image on left hand side)
For more information:
• breakdowns were common, and access to the technical or material resources they needed to fix the breakdowns were also scarce
• all building materials were scarce - even palm trees failed to provide strong lumber due to their drought-stressed history of growth
• while any available material was salvaged and used, corrugated sheets that were intended to cover open groundwater galleries, had become materials for housing
• social co-operation was generally based around the head of a family unit, and the existing water supply system did not support this structure
• there was poor or no house plumbing which meant erratic access to water, or lengthy delays or travel to other water supplies and water's edge ablutions. Wind pump at Decca groundwater gallery, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on left hand side)
The design of the improved water system focused on a number of elements:
• Detailed re-mapping of water lenses, and estimation of yields to sustain the proposed 6,000 inhabitants between the irregular rainfalls
- An allowance/ provision was made for 50 litres per head for people in villages with access to shallow wells and 67 litres for London-town residents whose wells were salty (0.5m above sea level)• Buried shallow 400m long slotted pipe galleries to encourage groundwater to run gently to pits where wind and solar driven pumps to lift it to elevated tanks
• Solar powered chlorination (sodium hypochlorite) at each gallery. Chlorine detention of 24 hours to kill Giardia - a small single cell parasite that could cause diarrhea, vomiting and weight loss
• PVC and high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe - trunk mains to each village (removing the former asbestos cement pipes) with another elevated fiberglass (day) tank
• Placement of a 500 litre day tank on a 3 metre stand at each dwelling. This tank broke the higher transfer pressure, gave 24 hours to satisfy demand and a day's back-up if the system broke down.
The design approach was subsequently adopted across the Republic of Kiribati and especially in Tarawa, where keeping pace with demand had also led to interference with the pipe system and supply failures to the edges of the networks.
Solar pump at Decca groundwater gallery, Neil Kerby, 2000 (see image on right hand side)
Feedback from i-Kiribati residents has been positive.
In 2007 a senior bureaucrat in Tarawa, Kiribati stated that, "the Kiritimati Island water supply was now the best in the Republic". A site visit to South Tarawa and elsewhere also bears witness to the reliability and use of water by i-Kirbati residents. They are using the household fibreglass tanks at ground level for daily supply - with the village day tank at each village and a rotating fill sequence to each village's tankstand.
A decade on, this water concept appears to still be working - and making a difference to everyday i-Kiribati lives.
Corroded military tank stand London, Neil Kerby, 1999 (see image on left hand side)
For more information:
- Learn more about the Australian Water Association (AWA) and their upcoming events in 2010.
- Find out about AusAID activities in Water and Sanitation - http://www.ausaid.gov.au/keyaid/water.cfm
- See resources on the ADG site on Water and Sanitation at -http://www.developmentgateway.com.au/jahia/Jahia/pid/9
More on this resource
- March 2010
- Australian Water Association (www.awa.asn.au/)
- 01.03.2010 11:00 | Contributed by: Neil Kerby, member of AWA WASH Network and Water and Sanitation Specialist, Winkfield Pty Ltd
- http://www.awa.asn.au/
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