Important tools for establishment of area mechanics

The two documents attached are useful tools for the implementation of a network of hand pump mechanics.
It is still at a draft stage but it will become national guidelines from the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.

The experience of Inter Aide and BASEDA in maintenance project highly contributed to these guidelines as major inputs and tools have been developed by them.

Link to the guide manual for establishment of Area Mechanics - Official

Link to a a training Manual of Area Mechanic - Official

Ideal Area Mechanic System

Study by Hystra presenting 15 innovative project including Inter Aide and BASEDA maintenance network in Malawi

hystra.com/safe-water

Link to a study of 2011 produced by Hystra on ''Access to Safe Water for the Base of the Pyramid'' and presenting 15 innovative projects led by social entrepreneurs, NGOs and businesses that propose a wide variety of solutions concerning access to safe water, each differing in terms of services, treatment effectiveness, technology and sustainability.

All of them provide solutions that cost less than the recommended 4% of the average income of a poor family in the BoP 500-1,000 range. The chosen projects also illustrate how the private sector can be called upon by public authorities to help develop and operate public infrastructure, or how it develops freely in areas with limited or no public service.

The hand pump maintenance services through networks of spare parts resellers and local mechanics developed in Malawi by Inter Aide and BASEDA are described pages 148 to 155.

Hystra is a global consulting firm working with businesses and social sector pioneers to design and implement hybrid strategies and innovative business approaches that:

• are profitable, scalable and eradicate social and environmental problems
• combine the insights and resources of business and citizen sectors

Presentation O&M in Malawi

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).

Districts where O&M projects are active are Lilongwe, Salima, Dowa, Mchinji, Nchisi, Zomba, Mulanje and Chiradzulu. Deployment is ongoing in Kasungu and Dedza.

O&M in Malawi - End 2012 Situation

In 2011 and 2012, InterAide O&M activity has been extended to Chiradzulu and Mulange (South Region) and to Ntchisi and Dedza (Central Region).

This program covers now 10 districts, and 250 area mechanics propose their services to the communities (skill are mainly on Afridev hand-pump model). In all these area, InterAide also provides Afridev spare parts accessibility through a network of shops (complementary with Chipiku stores).

 2300 have been repaired from January to October 2012 thanks to Area mechanics interventions, allowing access to safe water for 575 000 people.