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Comparative performance of rural water supplies during drought

Author

Listed:
  • D. J. MacAllister

    (British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre)

  • A. M. MacDonald

    (British Geological Survey, The Lyell Centre)

  • S. Kebede

    (School of Agricultural Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu Natal)

  • S. Godfrey

    (UNICEF Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa)

  • R. Calow

    (Overseas Development Institute)

Abstract

As rural African communities experience more frequent and extreme droughts, it is increasingly important that water supplies are climate resilient. Using a unique temporal dataset we explore rural water supply (n = 5196) performance during the 2015–16 drought in Ethiopia. Mean functionality ranged from 60% for motorised boreholes to 75% for hand-pumped boreholes. Real-time monitoring and responsive operation and maintenance led to rapid increases in functionality of hand-pumped and, to a lesser extent, motorised boreholes. Increased demand was placed on motorised boreholes in lowland areas as springs, hand-dug-wells and open sources failed. Most users travelled >1 h to access motorised boreholes but 30 m) groundwater performed best during the drought. Prioritising access to groundwater via multiple improved sources and a portfolio of technologies, such as hand-pumped and motorised boreholes, supported by responsive and proactive operation and maintenance, increases rural water supply resilience.

Suggested Citation

  • D. J. MacAllister & A. M. MacDonald & S. Kebede & S. Godfrey & R. Calow, 2020. "Comparative performance of rural water supplies during drought," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-14839-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14839-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Suchita Srinivasan, 2023. "Social Policies and Adaptation to Extreme Weather: Evidence from South Africa," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 23/381, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    2. Young, Sera L., 2021. "Viewpoint: The measurement of water access and use is key for more effective food and nutrition policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    3. Sishu, F. K. & Tilahun, Seifu A. & Schmitter, Petra & Steenhuis, T. S., 2023. "Investigating nitrate with other constituents in groundwater in two contrasting tropical highland watersheds," Papers published in Journals (Open Access), International Water Management Institute, pages 1-10(4):82..

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