RAINWATER HARVESTING AND MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN RAKAI DISTRICT

Outcomes and impacts

Author: Cate Nimanya and Daniel Mwesige

Peer reviewed by …..

Abstract

Rakai district is in the South Western region of Uganda. Before the intervention, the District had a total population is 470,365; 230,043 males and 240,322 females. The safe water coverage was one of the lowest in Uganda and stood at at 28% Coverage ranged from less than 10% in Kyarulangira and Kibanda sub counties to over 85% in Lwakoni Sub County. The main technologies being promoted in the district were communal rainwater tanks, boreholes, valley dams and springs. HH tanks were also being promoted by a few NGOs like SNV, ICR and world vision.

The Rainwater Harvesting and Management Project was in response to the national agenda that calls on government partners to provide relief to the most water stressed parts of the country through implementation of low cost technologies. The project aimed on the one hand at, increasing water supply, improving sanitation and protecting the environment at household and institutional levels, and most importantly on the other hand it aimed at demonstrating how RWH can be optimally used as means to alleviate the shortage in water supply in water scarce areas – with proper management.

Network for water and sanitation Uganda, a national NGO partnered with COWESER Rakai/ OPEN PALM collaboration which is a non governmental organization operating in Rakai District. It is a social service driven organization with a vision of improving health and quality of life of the individuals and communities they serve. The NGO had never implemented a rainwater harvesting project but had experience in small construction works like springs, community mobilisation and sensitization, training water management committees, integrated Health, sanitation and Hygiene Promotion, mainstreaming HIV/Aids in Hygiene and Sanitation training. The 2 organisations worked together to implement the rainwater harvesting and Management project between 2007 and June 2010 with funding from Africa water Facility/African development Bank. The project also worked closely with the District Local government to select the specific sub counties and parishes and other local leaders provided political support to the initiative and mobilized communities and resources for the project.

The capacity of installed ferrocement tanks was 6000 litres (300 jerry cans of 20 litres each) and 10,000 litres for institutions.A total of 233 ferrocement tanks were constructed using the funding from AWF/ADB and 6 tanks using funding from the community cash contribution collected from the beneficiaries. A total of 12 masons were trained 8 women and 4 men who were organised in form of a group called “Nkoba za mbogo” The groups was initiated by women, who had seen other womenwidows in

Plate 1: Household Tank in Rakai

the area form groups within the District which was one of the first hit by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The women felt the need to support each other by participating in income generating activities while improving their health and sanitation activities. This would improve their economical situation and living condition at the same time.

1.Description of the initiative

The sub counties of Kibanda and Kyarulangira were selected in consultation with the Rakai District Local government. These were the most water stressed sub counties with limited technological options. Residents here depended on valley dams which were located in valleys and the distance to fetch water was long. Girls were being raped on their way to these water sources and the surrounding environment had snakes commonly called “enkoma”

The RWHM project used an approach of providing tanks to households with good sanitation and hygiene practices and building the capacity of the local NGO to be able to enhance their skills in implementing rainwater harvesting and Management projects. The project also identified local masons within the sub county with skills in masonry work but who were interested in learning how to construct tanks as well. There were many women groups in Rakai, project decided to build capacity of a few members. The women groups used to depend only on proceeds from farming.

The project had key components that included stakeholder’s mobilisation at National, District, Sub County and Parish level, awareness creation of households, selection of masons, training of NGOs and masons, construction, monitoring and evaluation.

The tanks were concentrated in a village to ensure learning from each other, reduction in unit costs and to avoid begging from neighbours. The water from the tanks is used for drinking, washing, cooking, feeding hens, goats and pigs.

Plate 2: Healthy pigs at Mr and Mrs Mukasa Willy

The management of the tanks was emphasised in this project. Tanks were calibrated/ labelled in terms of jerry cans and litres and the GPs coordinates were recorded. A

2.Major drivers of the process and success

The selected project area was the most stressed in the District. The sub counties of Kibanda and Kyalulangira are found in the cattle corridor and are very dry with along spell of sunshine. A 20l jerrycan of water costed 500 shillings in the dry season. There were limited options for other technologies hence adoption was quite easy.

The District and sub county leaders provided political support to the project and mobilised communities to get the local materials and participation in the project.

The tripartite partnership between NETWAS a capacity building and national NGO together with COWESER a local NGO in Rakai and the local governments initiated the project brought in innovation and mobilised support for the project.

Presence of women groups in Kyalulangira and Kibanda sub counties who were organised advocated for their members to participate in the programme and own tanks for themselves.

  1. Resources

Africa Water Facility/African Development Bank contributed 80% towards the cost of the 6000l and 10,000l tank. These funds were passed on by NETWAS to COWESER through the financing agreement.

The communities in turn contributed 120,000 (One hundred twenty thousand Uganda shillings) for a 6000l tanks and 150,000 (one hundred fifty thousand shillings for a 10,000l tankThe cash contribution went into financing of a 6000l tank for a vulnerable beneficiary.The local materials provided by the household members and or an institution included sand, hardcore, accommodation and meals for masons. The household members would also provide the unskilled labour. In case they did not have then they would rise an extra 30,000 for such support.

Each women group member would contribute 10,000= and 12 of them would rise a total of 120,000= which would be a contribution for one house hold that would benefit from the project. This would be done rotationally until all the 12 members benefited with tanks.

The women groups since they were organised, each would contribute 10,000 and 12 members would raise the 120,000 which was needed by one person.

The District Local government provided their own resources in terms of vehicles and fuel during the monitoring visits.

4.Successes

Increased access to water in the sub counties of Kyalulangira and Kibandasub counties. The parishes of Magabi had never seen clear water. Although the project provided 6000l tanks with 3 gutter of3.m each. many households provided more materials to make up to 8000 or 10,000l. Eg Mr and Mrs Mukasa Willy of Kaliro Local council 1, Kalungi parish, and kyalulangira added on more cement and welded mesh and gutters to acquire 8000l tank.

Improved technology of Ferro cement tank that has a management component that ensures that household has water throughout the dry season.

Enhanced skills of the partner NGO- COWESER in implementation of Rainwater harvesting and management projects, procurement and contract management. COWESER recently got funding from Japanese water fund to construct a 10,000l tank at greater horizon educational centre a primary school in Kalisizotown. Mercy corps international has also written a proposalhoping to construct rainwater tanks in the same sub counties.

Increased private sector involvement with using of the RWHM project trained masons in construction of the tanks. The masons not only gained skills but their livelihoods improved due to the extra income.

Rakai District Local government preferred to install plastic tanks in the past but they have now changed to ferro cement tanks which are not only cheaper but are not prone to vandalism.In the financial year 2009/10 the trained women group was awarded a contract to construct 18 6000l tanks in Kasangara parish, Kagamba subcounty.

Strong capacities of women groups have been developed. They constructed 114 tanks out of the 233 constructed in Rakai District. The women group has been contracted by ACCORD an NGO that was awarded a contract by the MWE to construct 20 tanks in the month of September 2010. The women are paid 100,000 (one hundred thousand shillings per tank and 63,000 (sixty thousand shillings) for the unskilled labour

The profile of COWESER and NETWAS has gone up. Construction of 233 tanks in the district is the highest the District has ever constructed in two subcounties. The project has been captured in the SPR 2009 and during the Joint technical review of 2009; the project area was selected as one of field work area.

  • Improved status of the households with achievement of a tankand its associated benefits of clean water.
  • There was an increase in latrine coverage to 96% from 80% during the baseline. This was a precondition for one to acquire a tank from the project.because having a latrine was one of the criteria for getting a tank.

Figure 1: conditions of the latrine in Rakai

  • Enhanced income for the households through selling of water and the masons/women groups who can now sell their skillsin the neighbouring sub counties in the district . Interviews with the masons revealed the following;
  • Ms Namwanje Devot- vice chairperson Nkoba za Mbogo bought land worth 800,000 in Kiziba parish, has paid fees for one of her children at Muteesa Royal Universityand bought 2 cows
  • Mr, Robert Sekittoleko a member bought iron sheets for his house which was grass thatched
  • Ms Namubiru Jane has bought 1 cow and land in Kiziba
  • Nalongo Jesca, the chairperson has bought a plot of land and 2 cows

Plate 3: Achievements of the masons

The women group has passed on their skills to 5 other members not originally trained by NETWAS within their group and 3 members of ACCORD. The women from Bugiri also visited the group members for experience sharing.

Rakai DLG has moved from provision of communal tanks which were poorly maintained to Household tanks. Kibanda subcounty has planned for 3 ferro-cement tanks at household level.

  1. Lessons learnt
  • Working in groups helps to achieve a lot. The women contributed for one another in order for each of them to get a tank.
  • Women once empowered with skills and effectively engaged can enhance their livelihood. The ones constructing are referred to as engineers wherever they go. COWESER has always written recommendation letters in case they need one to get a job. Women groups contribute in turn for each other to get tanks which would be difficult for the individual households. Rotational contribution should be promoted

Plate 4: Women group members that are now called “Engineers”

  • Cost of implementation of the project was quite low as it depended on local masons for construction and the tanks were congested in a parish
  • Documentation enhances uptake of the good practices. The project shared the Bills of quantities with the household members for monitoring and the Rakai District Local government which has adopted them. Masaka and Lyatonde District Local government has adopted the Bills of quantities.
  • Creating awareness among the beneficiaries on the management of the tank and calibrating labelling of the tanks ensured that beneficiaries have water throughout the dry season. Beneficiaries interviewed said the following;I ration my water depending on the amounts of water in the tank- Mrs Mukasa willy
  • The practice of roof Rainwater harvesting was not new in the communities. Since time immemorial, households were harvesting rainwater using pots and traditional gutters (pieces of banana stems) to collect rainwater from roofs, trees and rock. So the knowledge of harvesting rainwater was already there and the project’s value addition was to provide bigger tanks and introduce the concept of water management to encourage rational use of the harvested water.
  • Making sanitation a precondition for safe water provisions provides a good incentive for household to improve their sanitation status. Latrine coverage increased from 80% to 96% among the households that got the tanks.
  • The Ferro-cement tank technology for rainwater harvesting has a double effect in terms of providing safe water storage and income for the local masons or women groups and people who sell local materials like sand. The Plastic tanks do not provide such benefits to the community.
  • Contrary to the widely held view in the water sector that rainwater harvesting does not provide year round water, it does if the household applies the concept of water management. If the household get the right size of the tank, receives two rainy seasons in a year and manages the water well, there is no reason why it cannot have water year round.
  1. Challenges
  • The quality of sand in Rakai was very poor; as such the first year tanks were of poor quality. Options of getting the sand from Lukaaya town which is 60km from the project area were sought. That meant an addition of 30,000 Uganda shillings as transport costs for the sand which was meant to be provided by the households. This was an increase in cost for some of the poor households which were struggling with the community cash contribution.
  • The project did not provide for local transportation within the field. This led to increased monitoring costs which increased the administration budget on the project.
  • Some of the women masons dropped out after being trained because the husbands could not allow then to be taken to distant places
  • The installation of horse pipes was creating points of weaknesses in the masonry works of the tanks which lead to leakages. This was due to limited skills and inexperience of the masons in installation of the horse pipe. The project team then opted for an external piezometer/horse pipe that is fixed at the tap and opened as water rises within the horse pipe which would be superimposed on the tank surface(calibrated in terms of jerry cans) to determine the amount of water in the tank. This horse pipe is kept by the house hold and only used when he/she wishes to know how much water is in his tank.
  • The project created a lot of demand which was not fulfilled by the organisation.
  • In some communities community contribution was not realised due to the poverty levels. In other cases some households were used to free things.
  • Transport costs to some households were costly especially in the hilly areas. In such cases materials were dropped at a central place and households would make efforts of picking them to the sites
  • The project targeted the poor households. However, some of these poor households were not being reached because many did not have iron roofed houses and those who hadcould not afford to contribute the cash and local materials (valued at more than UGX 300,000).
  • Rakai had very poor quality sand and households which could not afford expensive quality typeused the poor one in the beginning. This resulted into some of the tanks cracking and leaking
  1. More information: Cate Zziwa Nimanya, Network for Water and Sanitation Uganda ; P.O.Box 40223 Kampala Uganda; +256-772981462
  2. Further reading: place where you can find more information if any about the initiative or related documentation

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