BASEflow is re-imagining the understanding of groundwater sources to leverage it sustainably and meet the growing demands of rural populations through a three-pronged approach to addressing gaps in the political economy.
The first prong addresses the need to strengthen data governance among stakeholders for improved monitoring and management of groundwater sources and infrastructure. In 2017, Muthi and his team at BASEflow hit the ground running in a collaborative initiative that aimed to conduct a census mapping of all rural-based water supply assets using the mobile phone app called, mWater. As part of this national initiative, BASEflow trained 354 government extension officers, including health surveillance assistants, in how to use the app to collect data on the type, location, and condition of water and sanitation infrastructure in the country. Through Muthi’s leadership, BASEflow managed to facilitate the creation of a database of 120,000 water points, received a high satisfaction rating of 86% from the government enumerators, and was recognized in the Water and Environmental Sanitation Network’s 2018 CSO Performance Report as an innovative example of transparency and accountability. Building on this solid foundation, Muthi would like to support the government in institutionalizing the water point database as the primary sector database for performance tracking, promoting an open data culture between government and non-state actors, and further exploring new collaborative ways of sustainably keeping the database updated.
Aligned with data governance, BASEflow is revitalizing the network of groundwater monitoring wells through the re-construction of existing monitoring wells and the introduction of telemetry-enabled technology which can enable real-time monitoring of the water table. As part of this work, BASEflow will work to strengthen the communication channels between the government at all levels and community-based gauge readers to foster improved stewardship of the groundwater monitoring assets. BASEflow has already fundraised for 20 monitoring wells rehabilitations and 3 telemetry-enabled monitoring wells which will be some of the first of its kind to be installed in Malawi.
The second prong in BASEflow’s approach is addressing institutional gaps within the political economy of groundwater development. Following a National Policy Dialogue on Groundwater Development and Management facilitated by BASEflow in 2021, it was evident that sub-standard borehole constructions, and the lack of accountability for their failure, were due to (i) Unfair drilling contracts which disproportionately put the risk on drilling company, forcing them to ‘cut corners’; and (ii) Lack of an explicit regulatory framework for holding water sector actors accountable for failed water investments. To address the first challenge and learning from countries such as Nigeria and Uganda, BASEflow intends to facilitate the establishment of the first driller’s association which will, among other things, consolidate their power and broker for better terms and conditions of service in drilling contracts and be incentivised to self-regulate against ‘briefcase’ drillers. To address the second political economy challenge, BASEflow will work with the Water Resources Regulator to support the establishment of a water tribunal to deal with cases where service providers have not complied with the national standards when constructing handpump-equipped boreholes for public use.
The third prong of BASEflow’s strategy is to address existing challenges to conserving, protecting, and managing groundwater by testing technical innovations in the field to inform evidence-based advocacy for policy reform or best practice adoption. Among the innovations that BASEflow is actively promoting is borehole forensics, a comprehensive technical investigation that aims to assess both surface and subsurface conditions of a borehole or handpump infrastructure to identify the primary causes of failure. This method employs a systematic approach to data collection and analysis, utilizing the mWater platform to enhance efficiency. This process includes various tests such as water quality tests, pumping tests, borehole camera surveys, civil works, and pump parts assessments. BASEflow takes pride in being the only organization offering this service in Malawi. In addition to generating data for holding service providers accountable for poorly constructed boreholes, the value of borehole forensics also lies in its ability to determine whether a handpump-equipped borehole can be rehabilitated or not, thus saving money that would have been wasted on a borehole that was built to fail. International organizations, such as Design Outreach, Self Help Africa, Habitat for Humanity Malawi, and WaterAid, have adopted Borehole Forensics as an institutional approach to water point rehabilitation.
A few other innovations include (i) Mapping and remediation of Malawi’s artesian wells: artesian wells refer to groundwater that is under pressure when tapped by a well and can rise above the level at which it is first encountered, often above ground (like a spring). There are significant problems associated with allowing artesian boreholes to flow uncontrolled including significant depletion of groundwater resources causing neighbouring boreholes to dry up and huge volumes of water to be wasted. BASEflow piloted an exemplar site in Southern Malawi where an artesian well was successfully capped, controlled, and extended to multiple uses, in addition to drinking water, by the surrounding community. BASEflow hopes to scale this to other areas, and (ii) Flood-proofing handpump-equipped boreholes: This involves building climate-resilient infrastructure by raising the concrete platform above the floodline to protect the handpump infrastructure against damage and risk of contamination due to cyclone-induced flooding. Two test sites were established in Southern Malawi in advance of Cyclone Freddy and have proven to be a cost-effective strategy for ensuring uninterrupted access to clean water during natural disasters.
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