Aquaya’s Post

One common approach to improve rural #watersafety is to build new laboratories to promote decentralized water testing. But sometimes centralized testing, or outsourcing to existing labs, is the most #costeffective. In this publication👇 , we compare the costs of 4 different water testing models and discuss when the different models make the most sense. #SpoilerAlert: Centralized testing was the lowest cost in widest variety of simulations and 2/3 of our real-world scenarios in #Uganda 🇺🇬 and #Ghana 🇬🇭 . Other models were more cost-effective in certain contexts, particularly when testing sites were very far from centralized labs.

🎧 Listen to a Summary: Ensuring water safety requires regular monitoring to identify health risks. Rural water systems in Africa have room for improvement in water quality monitoring. Despite the potential for better water quality monitoring in #rural African water systems, the question of determining the most cost-efficient method for microbial testing remains unanswered. The REAL-Water study compared the cost of water quality testing at four different laboratories: (i) One centralized laboratory serving all water systems (ii) a mobile laboratory serving all systems (iii) multiple semi-centralized laboratories serving clusters of systems (iv) decentralized analysis at each system 🎙️ Tune in and listen to this 5 minute - summary by John Trimmer, an Assistant Teaching Professor at Syracuse University and Aquaya's former Deputy Director of Research: https://lnkd.in/exPdY7rx #REALWater | USAID | USAID Global Waters | Conrad N. Hilton Foundation

🔬 📊 Did you know? Most water systems evaluated in this new #REALwater baseline assessment in Kenya did not perform adequate chlorination and water often had microbial contamination at the point of collection and at the point of use. Read the report to get details of the baseline findings and implications. In efforts to evaluate the effect of the Water Quality Assurance Fund across diverse contexts in Africa, and explore how efficiently existing professional water quality laboratories can expand their water testing services to rural water supplies, this report describes the baseline status of community-managed water systems in rural Kenya, prior to their enrollment in the Assurance Fund program. Access the report here: https://lnkd.in/dN2y6uwz Read the similar evaluation in #Ghana here: https://lnkd.in/dGQK-RuE Valerie Bauza, Peace Musonge, Gloria Magut, Caroline Delaire, Ranjiv Khush, Daniel Smith, Jeff Albert, Dayna Hansberger, USAID, USAID Global Waters, Aquaya, Aguaconsult Ltd., University of Technology Sydney, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, RWSN - Rural Water Supply Network, Safe Water Network, Water Mission, John Hopkins University

Our Managing Partner, Mr. AB Mahmoud, SAN, OON gave the opening remark at the Water Summit and Exhibition convened jointly by the Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria and the Shehu Musa Yardua Foundation at Shehu Musa Yardua Center Abuja. The summit whose key objective was to raise awareness of the impact of climate change on Nigeria's water resources had in attendance a diverse group of participants from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and international organizations. While delivering his insightful remark, Mr AB Mahmoud, OON, SAN spoke on the important role water plays in sustaining development, health, food security and economic progress. He acknowledged the increasingly severe crisis in water and how it threatens our socioeconomic stability and environmental health hindering our nation’s development and posing serious threats to our communal harmony and national security. He also charged all stakeholders, with practical ways to overcome these challenges which will require innovative policy changes and significant investment in infrastructure and technology applications which can be achieved through coordination and cooperation among all stakeholders in the public and private sector and civil society. Mr Mahmoud SAN remarked, "Today, we are joined by a diverse group of participants from governments, the private sector, civil society, academia, and international organizations. Each of you plays a crucial role in shaping the future of Nigeria’s water management and climate resilience. Your expertise, experiences, and commitment to change are invaluable as we chart a course towards a more sustainable and prosperous future..." #WaterSummit #ClimateChange #WaterCrisis #BlueEconomy #DikkoandMahmoud

"Excited to share that I’ve completed the Introduction to the Analysis of IWMI’s Water Data Products through Digital Earth Africa! 🌍💧 Ready to apply these tools for enhancing water resource management across Africa. #WaterData #DigitalEarthAfrica #IWMI #SustainableDevelopment"

Did you know Cross River State received 16 billion naira from the World Bank in 2014 to provide water to communities? Over nine years later, many villages, including Agbara, still suffer from water scarcity and rely on unclean sources like streams and hand-dug wells for their water. https://bit.ly/3yBMvR8 This eye-opening report by Africa Data Hub, authored by Violet Ikong delves into the challenges of Cross River State's access to clean water.

In just one year, my first-ever review article as part of my PhD studies, "Adapted Water Quality Indices: Limitations and Potential for Water Quality Monitoring in Africa," has garnered an incredible 20 citations! As the lead author, I'm excited about this milestone and immensely grateful to my co-authors for their invaluable contributions. This achievement underscores the pressing need for effective water quality management practices in Africa. Collaboration is key to addressing this challenge, and I invite fellow researchers to join forces in co-authoring articles in this vital area. I encourage you to check out our article here: (https://lnkd.in/guAN5qtm) and probe into the crucial discussions surrounding water quality monitoring and management in Africa. Let's work together towards a sustainable future for our planet! #WaterQuality #Research #Collaboration #Sustainability

This is how Somalia will break the cycle of dependency -- by empowering its own institutions to design solutions tailored to its needs and equipping its youth with the knowledge and skills to lead. The Ministry of Energy and Water Resources (MoEWR), in collaboration with the Somali National University, made history when it launched the nation’s first-ever M.Sc. in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) program in 2022. Today, another milestone was reached, when the Uni proudly celebrated the graduation of the first cohort: 34 highly capable professionals, ready to be deployed at the Government offices across Somalia and provide home-grown solutions for integrated water management. Thanks to Sweden's [Sida] funding, through UNDP Somalia. Somalia’s journey to self-sufficiency starts here -- with homegrown solutions and expertise.

Impact Report: Ensuring Better Water Services for Kenyans 1.Transparency and Accountability: Measure and report: WASREB's annual Impact Report tracks the performance of Kenya's water services sector. Hold institutions accountable: It ensures Water Service Providers (WSPs) and other stakeholders deliver on their promises. 2.Driving Improvement: Track progress: Impact uses Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to monitor water access, quality, and service efficiency. Benchmarking and competition: By comparing performance, the report encourages WSPs to constantly improve. 3.Making a Difference: Informed decisions: The report provides valuable data for policymakers, investors, and the public. Towards universal access: By identifying areas for improvement, Impact paves the way for better water services for all Kenyans. Read the reports at https://wasreb.go.ke/ #waterservicesforall

The pace of soil degradation is a salient threat to African security; it is like an internal implosion with the potential to create a huge harm, if not halted. I think it should be treated with all the seriousness it deserves “like a national security issue.” Policy enforcement, investment, and mobilization of civil society are urgently needed. Implementing the Soil Initiative for Africa (SIA) and the Africa Fertilizer and Soil Health Action Plan (AFSH-AP) is seriously on my mind.