Hand pumps O&M in Malawi

Presentation O&M in Malawi

2011-11-19T03:14:00.000-08:00

Malawi is in Africa and has an estimated population of 13.2 million of which 80% live in rural areas and generally practice subsistence, rain-fed agriculture.

The main improved rural water supplies in Malawi are boreholes installed with handpumps, shallow wells fitted with handpumps and piped gravity fed schemes (GFS). Coverage of improved water supplies in rural Malawi is estimated to be 71% (UNICEF, 2006b. However, it is estimated that 31% of the improved rural water points are not functioning, thus effective coverage is reduced to 55%.

To improve this functioning ratio, some Operation and Maintenance (O&M) have been undertaken in Malawi since 1999. Operation and Maintenance applied on water supplies (hand pumps, etc.) means:

Operation means the safe, reliable and economic use of a facility over its Life Span. The Life Span of a system is the number of years that the facilities are expected to operate.
Maintenance describes the set of measures and activities aimed at keeping, or restoring optimal and reliable functionality of equipment.

The map above shows where these projects are now present (Click on it to enlarge it).

Kasungu - Shop activity

2011-11-18T05:44:00.000-08:00

Since April 2011, 13 shops can sell spare parts in Kasungu district (see map below). One Chipiku store also cooperate with the Project.
Names of the shops and location are:

Salima presentation

2011-09-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Project in Salima was lauched in September 2008.

It comprises 9 shops and 28 Area mechanics.

Click on the picture to enlarge it.

Next posts will present impressive figures about this district since 2008.

InterAide O&M Project quoted in a UNICEF survey in Sierra Leone

2011-09-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

See extract of this 2011 UNICEF survey for developing an O&M system in Sierra Leone:

4.1.4 Public/private sector supply chains

This model has been successfully implemented in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Oyo, 2006). Although its implementation depends on a number of variables, it eliminates some of the constraints inherent in the other two models. In Malawi, Bertrand de Saint Meloir (2009) documented a model in which an NGO, InterAide, provided an initial stock of spare parts, a display shelf, advertisement posters and fliers for shop owners, who have to maintain their spare parts stock at an agreed minimal level (equivalent to the starter pack value). The shop owner (private investor) has to sell to the communities at prices fixed by the project and indicated on the shelf and use the triplicate cash receipt provided by the project. Here, use is made of an established private sector operator, who is already involved in the provision of water services and has the requisite financial support and potential commercial incentive to support the spare parts network (Oyo, 2006).

The success of this model also depends on the basic private sector requirement of adequate demand predicated on high population of potential customers. Government’s role in this is not only to regulate but to influence market incentives to encourage private sector activity, by helping to create an enabling environment for business. Although this study has as its overarching objective an assessment of the type of supply chain model to be adopted in Sierra Leone, the involvement of UNICEF in providing an initial stock and the construction of spare parts stores in all districts of the country points to a public/private sector led supply chain, with the private sector expected to be involved probably as supplier or retailer. Whatever arrangement is put in place UNICEF must recover its initial cost or seed money.

Spare part definition Afridev

2011-08-26T02:45:00.000-07:00

Most of the spare parts provided in the shops are Afridev ones.

As a reminder for Shopowners and Area mechanics and material support for training, a English and Chichewa list of the Afridev parts have been done by the Projects. It is distributed as a laminated page.

See above the first lines of this material:

Click here to get the full Acrobat Pdf document.

We also have the same material for Malda pumps. Don't hesitate to ask for it.

Partnership

2011-06-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

This O&M project has been selected in 2010 by the Fondation Ensemble (survey performed with Hystra) for Partnership with 8 other projects.

O&M InterAide projects are described as follows: Distribution of an ingenious pumping system, facilitating access to drinking water for 3.75 million users of existing rural, hydraulic works. Creation of a local network of craftsmen for maintenance and for the distribution of spare parts.

See complete information on link : www.fondationensemble.org/newsletter/NL17_GB.pdf

Area Mechanic presentation - Tikonze Mjigo

2011-02-14T01:53:00.000-08:00

Area mechanics (AM) are identified with help of the District and the communities, then trained CBM1 (Community Based Management Level 1) & CBM2 on Afridev.

Tools kits and Push bike provided when they sign a 2 years contract in which they engage themselves to be active in their catchment’s area and attend monthly meeting s organized by the project. They have to work as independent workers and get labour charges from the communities. At the beginning of the project, they get technical supports and tips on community social approach from InterAide Maintenance assistants (one is present in each district and is mobile with a motorcycle).

During the monthly meetings, they report on the contracts signed, get in touch with the maintenance project and share experience with others AM.

There are 2 main types of contracts:

The reparation contract to repair a broken hand pump. Cost between 500 Mk and 1.200 Mk. The contract has a guarantee of one month.

The maintenance contract only deals with functional hand pump for preventive maintenance (4 visits per year). Cost around 1.200 Mk.

Contacts

2011-02-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

Tizonze Mjigo - Maintenance System project
InterAide
Area 47/3/213
P.O Box 31405
Lilongwe 3
Malawi

Tel: +(265) 01 761 780
Fax: +(265) 01 761 779
Email: maintenance.interaide@gmail.com

Project Officer: Laurent Cochet +(265) 0 995 457 868

Madzi Mjigo & TIMMS
From the fusion of Madzi ndi Moyo and Mjigo Usafe
BASEDA
Lilongwe
Malawi

BASEDA Executive Director: John Chimukho +(265) 0 999 291 891
Project Manager: Shadreck Mhango +(265) 0 999 512 950

Shops presentation - Tikonze Mjigo

2011-01-05T01:52:00.000-08:00

As Tikonze Mjigo project is cooperating with Chipiku stores, these selling points are in area not covered by them. Selling points are identified in trading centres and market places. Communities can make 10km trip to reach that place (see Mchinji map with 10km circle radius). A shop must have at minimum 250 hand pumps in its catchment’s area to have a sufficient business to motivate it.
Once choosen with the help of the District and the communities, they are trained CBM1 (Community Based Management Level 1) to be able to advice the communities on spare parts.

They are provided a 10,000.00 Mk initial stock of spare parts when they signed a 2 years contracts in which they engage themselves to maintain that stock of spares and to sell it at fixed prices (controlled thorough cash receipts).

InterAide provide them way to re-supply at 2 different prices, either by being delivered at their shops, either to come to InterAide depositories. We make their follow-up at the beginning of the project, and then their motivation on the sales benefit (around 25%) is enough to make them to continue the activity. We also provide them presenting shelves, advertising posts and fliers campaigns.

Fliers

2011-01-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Regularly, hundreds of fliers are provided to the shop owners. Distributed on market places, it has 2 faces:

- Face is to inform population about the shop existence and location, the spare-parts availability and its prices (for Afridev),
- Back provides information about Area mechanics available in the area, and an example of their rate.

Specific fliers were done for each shop.

Their cost 1 kwachas only each (6 fliers were done per page).

These fliers had a great impact on O&M Project acknowledgement in new area. Even if its impact decrease after time, regular distribution maintain link with population, in case of price or area mechanics change.

They were also given to Area mechanics, to be given straight to people when doing a quotation to certify spare parts prices.

Example of Lipili shop flier below:

Mchinji - Area Mechanic work

2011-01-04T02:29:00.000-08:00

Since May 2008 to August 2009, Area Mechanic have done 379 contracts (Repair or Maintenance). Enlarge the table below to get full details.

The best one, Mr Phiri, have done 42 contracts and has collected 25.000,00 Mk (170 $) as labour work from the communities.

The number of contracts was high at the beginning of the project, but has started to decrease. We think that this decrease is due on the fact that most of the hand pumps are repaired and not because of Area Mechanic demotivation. To prove it, we are assessing on the hand pumps functionning ratio now, to compare to the one in May 2008. The results of this assessment will be published soon on this Blog.

Fishing pipes tools

2011-01-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

About 10 tools like the one pictured there were done.

Cost of the tool (rope included) : 5.000 Mk

It was lent freely by InterAide to Area Mechanic who had fallen pipes in their area. Area Mechanic had then opportunity to charge more for such a service.

In some case, pumps unworking for some year started again. In other cases, the tool stayed stuck in the pumps ...

In Mchinji, for 1 tool lost, 5 pumps were saved in the first month of this initiative.

It was about the same efficiency and ratio success/lost tool in Dowa and Salima.

Sales details by Spare parts Type (Afridev)

2010-11-12T07:00:00.001-08:00

During the last 3 years (All months for 2008 and 2009, but sample of only 6 months on 2010), the average sales per District and per Type of Spare parts are the following for Aridev (click on the table to enlarge):

Main figures by characteristic categories are:

152 Seals (Useal + Cup seal) represent small maintenance.

16 Solvent cements, for bigger maintenance like pipe repair (we can see that this number is in concordance with the Double-end socket one.).

11 Rod galvanized.

Mchinji figures (from January 2009 to March 2010)

2010-09-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

From January 2009 to March 2010, the 18 Area mechanics in Mchinji have realized a total of 275 contracts. The graph below describe the monthly evolution:

Click on image to enlarge

This next graph shows handpumps spares parts sales for the same period. The total sales amount of 404,000.00 Kw is detailes by shop and by month:

Click on image to enlarge

Most of the sales are for Afridev handpumps. Malda spare parts represent only a small percentage of the sales.

Full details of the spare parts sold will be described in a next post.

Dowa presentation

2010-01-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

O&M in Dowa project was lauched in June 2008 by Tikonze Mjigo (InterAide).

It includes 21 Area mechanics, 6 Chipiku stores and 4 groceries.

This pictures below (click to enlarge) gives the overview of how it is organized:

Mchinji - Presentation

2009-09-13T04:18:00.000-07:00

O&M in Mchinji was launched by the Tikonze Mjigo project (InterAide) in May 2008.

The details of its implementation can be found in the document:
http://www.rwsn.ch/documentation/skatdocumentation.2009-02-27.9651985043

The next picture provides an overview of how it is now:

Sales Mchinji shops (June 2008 to August 2009)

2009-09-12T03:05:00.000-07:00

In Mchnji, the sales (in Mk) for each shops are beside (Click to enlarge).

Mikundi shop is the best one, followed by Chiosya.

The cumulative sales of the 6 shops evolution is described by the graph below. At the beginning, a lot of repairs are done on the water points (see also Area Mechanic work page http://pumpsmaintenancemalawi.blogspot.com/2009/09/mhinji-area-mechanic-work.html). Once the project is stable, the sales move according to business season, dry season and also when shallow wells start to dry (then people start to repair drilled ones).