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Multiple use water systems

Multiple use water systems

Using the landscape to supply communities with water

Poor people living in mountainous areas have to negotiate difficult paths and steep climbs to get to mountain streams, in order to collect a can of water. Yet no matter how many of these hazardous journeys they make, families can never collect enough water for their basic needs.

A Multiple Use Water System uses gravity to provide families with enough water to drink and feed their crops.

Constructed with local materials, this simple technology solves the problem of water being out of reach. This means that, for the first time in their lives, families have enough water, both to drink and to irrigate the crops they need to survive.

Using the power of gravity, a system of pipes carries spring water down into collection tanks in the community. The water is then fed to taps for domestic and agricultural use.

Typically a tap is shared between 3-4 families. As well as providing vital water supplies, this drastically reduces the time and drudgery required to collect water, freeing women and children to focus on productive activities like studying and generating income.

The multi-use water system increases access to water for rural and mountainous communities in Nepal through low-cost technology. This video case study, telling the story of Bima Devi Saud, a resident of Ramaroshan VDC, Achham District, demonstates the impact of the technology, which was introduced as part of Practical Action Nepal's SABAL project.

Constructed with local materials, this simple technology solves the problem of water being out of reach - and helps families lift themselves out of poverty. This means that, for the first time in their lives, families have enough water, both to drink and to irrigate the crops they need to survive.

With your help, we can pipe water to isolated villages. Practical Action have already helped install this simple, effective water system. But there are still so many more families who desperately need the extra water provided by a multiple use water system.

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Comments

  • Reply

    winifred said:

    said:
    how do we acquire this technology for our communities.?
    on 30/7/11
  • Reply

    Samuel Sangura Simiyu said:

    said:
    This is a very good concept which could used in the hilly areas around Mt. Elgon in Western Kenya. It could heavily reduce water borne diseases and change the dependence on rain fed agriculture in the river courses of the rivers staring in the mountain. This would serve both western Kenya and eastern Uganda.
    on 23/9/11
  • Reply

    Charles Srour said:

    said:
    This system could also produce electricity for the village by incorporating microhydro. A low cost microhydro system is basically a pump driven backwards via a small turbine which can be hand-made and used to charge up car batteries to power up car lights (keep power in DC - no expensive controller needed). Many non-profits install these hybrid systems in rural Asia positively transforming the villages through microeconomic enterprise by providing the people water & free electricity which they use to run local businesses. Some villages instead use bigger power wheels to generate actual work instead of electricity used to grind grain and other applications.
    on 1/12/11
  • Reply

    ibrahim rashid hasan adankhalif said:

    said:
    this is really a wise concept and this could help poor residents of Takaba, mandera west, a water catchment dam could help them forget water shortage problems and water trucking, and also small scale farmers watering through irrigation and could help poor mother supplement their poor income through the sale of veggies from their irrigated farm produce using the technology
    on 16/4/12

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