WATER SAFETY PLANING FOR PERI-URBAN SCHEMES IN KENYA Hellen Apondi Sewe (MOWI)& Tobias Omufwoko (MOPHS) Samuel

1. WATER SAFETY PLANING FOR PERI-URBAN SCHEMES IN KENYAHellen Apondi Sewe (MOWI)&Tobias Omufwoko (MOPHS)Samuel Gitahi (UNICEF)

2. Introduction • Traditionally water quality has been managed by protection of sources and/or treatment of water supplies. • As a check on the cleanliness of the supplied water, water samples from the supply are tested from time to time. • Where this monitoring indicates that water quality is compromised, remedial measures are taken to rectify the situation. • In extreme cases water quality problems may be identified through manifestation of diseases such as diarrhoea, dysentery, cholera or typhoid in the local population.

3. Problems with the traditional approach • Relying on water quality monitoring and/or outbreaks of disease means that once problems are identified it is already too late and the quality of the supply is already compromised. • Treating contaminated water sources/supplies with mitigation measures such as widespread chlorination is a ‘reactive’ or ‘curative’ measure rather than a ‘proactive’ or ‘preventative’ and does not get to the root of the problem. Hence contamination can be expected to re-occur in future.

4. Aim of Water Safety Planning • To assist those responsible for drinking water safety to better understand the risks to their water sources and water supplies, and implement simple checks and management measures to ensure water safety.

5. Activities Involved • Description of the water supply system; • Identification of risks to water safety e.g. through use of sanitary surveillance techniques and monitoring water quality • Identification of measures to control those risks; • Assigning responsibilities for undertaking control measures • Identifying capacity building requirements for responsible persons/bodies • Developing a procedure for checking the Water Safety Plan is functioning effectively.

6. Stages of the Water Safety Planning Exercise Preparatory: • Obtain National Level commitment • Obtain Water Service Board commitment for schemes in their jurisdiction • Obtain Water Service Provider commitment for their particular schemes • Undertake institutional and organisational review for each scheme (identify stakeholders) • Form Water Safety Team for each scheme • Identify human resource capacity gaps and where these can be overcome by capacity building • Define tools for system assessments of piped water schemes

7. Stages cont… Water Safety Plan Development: • Conduct system assessments (risk) • Develop Water Safety Plan matrix • Identify infrastructure/supply gaps Water Safety Plan Implementation: • Address infrastructure/supply gaps • Verify effectiveness of Water Safety Plan through monitoring and surveillance (potentially involving communities) • Review and update Water Safety Plan • Frequent Training/capacity building

8. Stakeholders In a Kenyan context the likely Water Safety stakeholders are as follows: • Ministry of Water and Irrigation (water policy) • Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation (public health and sanitation) • Ministry of Medical Services (health service provision) • Water consumers possibly represented by Water Users Associations/CBOs • Water Service Providers (water service provider) • Water Service Boards (water supply infrastructure, engagement and regulation of service provider) • Water Services Regulatory Board (overall water service regulator) • WRMA

9. Successes • Discussions with Stakeholders • MOWI, • MOPHS, • Boards, • WSP, • WRMA • Communities System description; • 37 schemes were completed

10. Successes Cont’ • Identification of risks to water safety e.g. through use of sanitary surveillance techniques; • Identification of measures to control those risks; • Assigning responsibilities for undertaking control measures • Identifying capacity building requirements for responsible persons/bodies • Developing a procedure for checking the Water Safety Plan is functioning effectively. • Water Safety Plan Development; Training/capacity building, Conduct system assessments, Develop Water Safety Plan matrix, Identify infrastructure/supply gaps

11. Challenges • Few staff and lack of water quality knowledge in water supply • Generally water testing was rarely done at the supply and the companies • Most water supplies were poorly maintained. • There were no laboratories and laboratory equipment in the water supplies. • Scheme maps were not updated or were non existent.

12. Challenges cont…. • Electricity costs are high • Water loss due to leakages are rampant • Revenue cannot support services • Maintenance is poor • Most of the schemes are old and need major rehabilitation.

13. Lessons learnt • Importance of the process; In overall, the general awareness-raising regarding the importance of water safety/water quality was very beneficial at the schemes. In most places, people understood the concept. • Engaging Stakeholders; Involving all partners such as DPHO, PHO, WRMA and CBOs/NGOs in the process has lead to better working relationship towards the same goal. • Strengthening the capacity of the Water Service Providers formed under the 2002 Water Act was very urgently required and hence a very useful intervention.

14. Lessons learnt Cont’ • Involvement of Public Health, communities; The Public Health staff have been provided with equipment for routine checking of the water quality they can feedback results to the WSPs and act ‘on the ground’ as regulator of the quality of water supplied • Collecting Details on the Economics of Scheme Operation; One underlying issue was the economic viability of the scheme i.e. income v expenditure. thus, a number of schemes not currently economically viable, are dependant on external support such as the MoWI or local well-wishers for their survival This is the cause of many problems and poor performance as regards maintenance of physical infrastructure and water treatment and disinfection operations.

15. Lessons learnt Cont’ • Applicability of the Water Safety Planning Approach in Kenyan Context ; . Development of a Water Safety Plan assumes a basic level of technical knowledge of those involved. It was necessary to raise the level of technical knowledge of staff before introducing the complexities of a Water Safety Plan Focus was given first to training on • basic principles of water treatment and disinfection. • operation and maintenance of treatment works and distribution systems • water quality monitoring and mitigation.

16. Lessons learnt Cont’ • Technical Training; KEWI provided ‘on the job’ training at the scheme and tailored each training to cover operational issues of importance to the particular scheme. This was better than a theoretical, classroom based training. • Supply of ConsumablesThere appeared to be a regular supply of consumables, such as alum, soda ash and chlorine, to the majority of schemes by MoWI or the WSB • Personal Protective Equipment for Chemical Attendants lacking in majority of schemes

17. KEWI TRAINING: Wundanyi, Maseno-Kombewa, Kajulu & Sidindi

18. lessons learnt cont’ • Unaccounted for water is high, eg, 70-90% are common. This represents cost to which no income is forthcoming. • Causes : Old and run-down infrastructure leading to excessive leakages and bursts • Lack of water metering and prevalence of flat rate where consumers take more water than they actually pay for • Lack of master meters or faulty master meters meaning the volume of water actually supplied/abstracted is overestimated • Corruption of water supply operatives i.e. ‘turning a blind eye’ to illegal connections or even complicity in sustaining illegal connections for which no income is forthcoming to the scheme

19. (b) Leakage on the mainline, about 100metres from Marere Water Supply (c) Treated water pouring to waste at Madabara 1 Pumping Station • (a) Marere Water Supply Intake Unaccounted for water

20. Physical Condition of Infrastructure • Design and construction quality in many cases seems to have been good, however, maintenance and further investment over the years are lacking • Lack of solution tanks and dosing equipment for alum/chlorine; • Filter media requiring replacement hence filters bypassed; • Lack of scour valves for ground tanks; • Exposed pipework including exposed PVC pipes in inappropriate areas; ie along drainage ditches; Leaking valves /lack of valve chambers • Poor quality repairs to burst pipes e.g. with wrapping the pipe with a piece of rubber; Standposts/taps with poor drainage and lack of concrete platforms.

21. Physical Condition cont....... • The majority of schemes had no equipment for testing basic water quality. • Jar testing equipment for determining alum dosing was absent at the vast majority. Majority used experience and ‘trial and error’. • Weighing scales for measuring quantities of chemicals for dosing are also absent at the majority of schemes • Knowledge of chlorine demand, the principles of chlorination and the necessity of ensuring residual chlorine to prevent re-contamination of water during distribution was limited. • Equipment for mixing and dosing water treatment and disinfection chemicals are generally improvised at the majority of schemes

22. Well constructed borehole

23. Valve contained in locked valve chamber • Well protected valve. Low risk

24. Well constructed water kiosk • Water kiosk

25. Good designs: Rongo water supply

26. Valve without valve chamber and in unsanitary condition: High risk

29. Pipework in unsanitary conditions • Pipe in garbage

30. Unsanitary household tap

31. Physical Condition of dozers

32. Improvised Dozers cont….

33. Operational Staff • Water Supply Operational Staff; The technical capacity of staff of the Water Service Providers is very variable. Some schemes have well qualified, dedicated and experienced op/ staff i.e Water Operators, Pump Attendants, Chemical Attendants, Pipe Fitters and Line Patrollers. Other schemes perhaps have a qualified and experienced Scheme Manager, but operational staff with little or no theoretical knowledge of operation of a water supply.

34. Problems facing operational staff • Transfer of Government staff to the Water Service Providers under the Sector Reform process seems to have been variably completed. • Many of the actual staff operating water supplies are still permanent Government employees. One upshot of this is that staff are liable to transfers to other posts within the Government system at any time. • Lack of allegiance of MOWI staff to the company and the scheme. lack of ownership or commitment of the staff of the Water Service Providers.This may be partly due to the lack of assimilation of Government staff into the Water Service Providers . No incentives

35. Achievments so far.. • Awareness-raising regarding the importance of WSPs • Engaging Stakeholders • Collecting Details of each scheme (systems description) • Training/capacity building, Conducting system assessments, • Develop Water Safety Plan matrix, • Identify infrastructure/supply gaps • Strengthening the capacity of the Water Service Providers formed under the 2002 Water Act • training on basic principles of water treatment • Providing testing equipment to 37 water schemes • Testing water quality currently performed in most Water Service Providers • Implementation of water safety plan on going (System improvement of selected water supply schemes), water quality monitoring ETC

36. Water quality monitoring: kalokol, lodwar

37. Recommendations for 2011 • Obtaining endorsement of senior government officials and mainstreaming WSP within government systems. • Policy formulation of water safety in Kenya • Routine “external” water quality surveillance/ monitoring and reporting by Public Health Officers using paqualabs and community groups using H2S kits • Addressing the underlying Issues; examining potential solutions to the issues eg.involve officials from Kenya Power and Lighting • System improvement of selected water supply schemes • Continued Capacity Building • Additional Supplies i.eDozers

38. Recommendations cont…. • Implementing the Operational Improvements in the Water Safety Plans • Produce Scheme-Specific Operational Procedures • Continued support for Government counterparts and water quality officers from the Boards and companies • More information on water safety plan from external stakeholders i.e IWA, WHO, USEPA etc • Training on how to Audit water safety plan

39. END THANK YOU