Perspectives are different frameworks from which to explore the knowledge around sustainable sanitation and water management. Perspectives are like filters: they compile and structure the information that relate to a given focus theme, region or context. This allows you to quickly navigate to the content of your particular interest while promoting the holistic understanding of sustainable sanitation and water management.
The choice of drilling technique and well type crucially depends on local geology. This website provides detailed soil maps of Africa and Asia, among others.
This paper describes the design and implementation of a multipurpose power unit at existing water mills from Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh in India. These new multipurpose systems aims to increased milling capacity, oil expelling, rice hulling, spice-hulling, processing of dairy and food products, workshop machines, wood working, metal working, textiles carding, and commercial cooking.
INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (2008): Water Mill. Roorkee, India: Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Alternate Hydro Energy Centre URL [Accessed: 28.03.2012]
This directory is part of UNEP collaboration with SIDS on the implementation of the Waste Management chapter of the Barbados Programme of Action. It focuses primarily on proven sound environmental technologies for solid, liquid and hazardous waste management plus those currently successfully being used in SIDS within the Pacific Region.
UNEP (2002): A Directory of Environmentally Sound Technologies for the Integrated Management of Solid, Liquid and Hazardous Waste for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Pacific Region. The Hague: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) URL [Accessed: 28.03.2012]
In Medinet El Faiyum, Egypt, the installation of a noria has been successful in increasing food security despite the lack of rainfall in the region. Farmers are able to harvest three times a year despite the fact that the region receives only three days of rain a year. This is thanks to waterwheels that were introduced several centuries ago by Ptolemic engineers. They are still working today side by side with electric water pumps to grow olives, vegetables, fruits, nuts, sugar cane, rice, and wheat.
KITIO, V. (2011): Noria. In the End of Famine in Africa. Mbouda, Cameroon: African Centre for Renewable Energy & Sustainable Technology URL [Accessed: 28.03.2012]UNICEF, Practica and Enterprise Works/VITA have developed a toolkit for African countries aiming to embark on the professionalisation of manual drilling. This comprehensive toolkit includes technical notes, technical manuals, advocacy materials, mapping of suitable areas for manual drilling, case studies, and implementation and training manuals.
This factsheet provides information on a rural development Lao PDR. Whereas the overall goal of the project is to be a trial for the Noria (water wheel) technology, the project seeks to increase rice production and production efficiency in the target area.
FRANGI, B. (2010): Noria and Small Scale Irrigation: Changing the Face of Upland Farming. Lao PDR: Care International in Lao Peoples Democratic Republic URL [Accessed: 28.03.2012]
This summary report presents the business case for supporting the upgrading of traditional watermills with improved technology. The report is directed at the banking community with the aim of encouraging rural and agricultural banks to offer appropriate finance for new projects. The report provides an overview of the technical, financial, social and market characteristics of watermill upgrades.
IT POWER (2011): Financing Watermill Upgrades, The Business Case for Banking Support. London: United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID). [Accessed: 28.03.2012] PDF
This document provides a detailed account of the history of water management. It covers diverse topics related to the history of technological innovations in water management from irrigation to industrial water use, as well as changing attitudes, policies, and ethical considerations regarding water use throughout history.
HASSAN, F. (2011): Historical Transformations of Water Management . A Punctuated, Co-evolutionary Theory. (= Water History for our Times , 2 ). Paris: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) URL [Accessed: 28.03.2012]
This report summarizes information on practices of wastewater reuse for agriculture in developing and developed countries around the world and reviews the public health and technological aspects of irrigation with wastewater. It evaluates the potential health effects from such reuse and proposes effective and economic methods of control that are particularly suited to developing countries. A theoretical model is developed, based on a review of available credible epidemiological studies and reports, to assist in predicting the degree of risk of disease transmission associated with various wastewater reuse practices. It provides a basis for evaluating control options. Technological and policy options for reducing and controlling any health risks of wastewater reuse in agriculture are evaluated here. In particular, multicell stabilization ponds with 20 days' detention time effectively remove bacterial, viral, and helminth pathogens in a low-cost, robust, easy-to-operate system that is especially suitable for developing countries. Appropriate wastewater treatment in combination with controlled irrigation techniques and restrictive cropping practices represent effective remedial measures.
SHUVAL, H.I. ADIN, A. FATTAL, B. RAWITZ, E. YEKUTIEL, P. (1986): Wastewater Irrigation in Developing Countries. Health Effects and Technical Solutions. Washington, D.C.: The World Bank URL [Accessed: 27.03.2012]
Human activities have often led to degradation of the world’s land resources. This map gives you an overview.
ISRIC ; UNEP ; FAO (1996): Human Induced Soil Degradation. Rome: World Food Summit URL [Accessed: 27.03.2012]This guideline is a ready source of information for decision makers and individuals involved in setting up municipal wastewater systems and concepts for management of excreta in communities in West Africa. The guide illustrates a participatory approach to sanitation planning, dealing with the complex stakeholder concerns when deciding and implementing a sanitation system. This tutorial will take you through a seven-step approach for participatory planning (PP) of sanitation. To aid your understanding of the process, each step is provided with preselected questions and answers, case studies, links for further information and tools to facilitate the adoption of participatory sanitation planning in local regions. We invite you to discover this tutorial, and continue working in the field of sanitation to improve the wellbeing of the members in your community!
NETSSAF (2008): The NETSAFF Participatory Planning Approach. A Tutorial for Sustainable Sanitation Planning. [Accessed: 27.03.2012]
The drought of 2011 and the famine that followed in politically instable Somalia highlighted the vulnerability of the lowlands of the Horn of Africa. It is a story revisited with high frequency – 2000, 2005, and 2008. Climate variability is easily mentioned as the main attributing factor. Clearly it is – but there is also extensive land use change, because of the widespread invasion of invasive species (prosopis in particular) and the decimation of natural wood stands for charcoal production (particularly in Somalia). 2011 was a crisis year – but even in a normal years food insecurity is common. In the Afar lowlands in Ethiopia food aid has become part of the livelihoods, with most of the people dependent on it – including reportedly middle class families. There is a growing realization that water resource development – appropriate to the context – has to have a place in addressing food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. This paper focuses on irrigation policy and practice in the arid lowlands of the Horn that have been hit hardest and most frequent in the drought episodes
ALEMEHAYU, T. DEMISSIE, A. LANGAN, S. EVERS, J. (2011): Irrigation Practice and Policy in the Lowlands of the Horn of Africa. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) URL [Accessed: 26.03.2012]
Ten years ago, Thai epidemiologists noticed unusual clusters of kidney disease among elderly people around the town of Mae Sot. Heavy metal poisoning was suspected. A research team, including scientists from the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), demonstrated that an irrigation system dissecting an area rich in minerals was contaminating local rice. Thanks to their efforts, farmers received compensation and training so that they could switch to growing inedible crops valuable for biofuels.
IWMI (2012): Changing to Biofuel Crops Makes Productive Use of Contaminated Water. Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI) URL [Accessed: 26.03.2012]