In a rush to meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals of halving the proportion of Malawian people lacking access to potable water and sanitation by 2015, many wells have been built hastily without adequate consultation or training. Now, more than 40% of the existing wells are not operational and the villagers do not know how to fix them.

There is a dire need for a more sustainable approach to water and sanitation provision in Malawi. A sustainable development is one that is planned, built and maintained by local people using locally available materials. We are now developing a pump for a well, which meets these criteria. It is an adaptation of the rope pump and will be piloted in Malawi this coming July. For further information visit http://www.see.ed.ac.uk/~s0562731/ob1.htm

Without adequate sanitation, access to clean water will make little impact to the health of the communities. For every well that Water Works helps install we will teach communities how to construct hygienic latrines and provide them with materials where necessary. We also provide latrines for those unable tobuild their own such as schools, the elderly and the infirm.

On the right is a sample of Water Works’ future projects. Click on the pictures for further details. All our work is done in partnership with the local community, which gives ownership and ensures sustainability.