 What we do
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Water resource development
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| Credit: WaterAid / Alex Macro |
Supplies of drinking water can be developed from a variety of different sources, and by a variety of different methods.
The table below summarises the main types of source, with some brief comments.
| Water source | Capital cost | Running cost | Conditions |
| Rainwater catchment |
|
Low | Needs two wet seasons a year, preferably. Poor water quality. |
| Spring protection | Low Medium if piped to community |
Low | Needs a reliable spring flow throughout the year. |
| Gravity supply | High Pipelines and local storage |
Low | Needs stream or spring at a higher elevation. Major advantage is that tapstands can be near the houses. |
| Hand-dug wells |
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Low | Abstraction can be by bucket and windlass, but handpump is preferred. |
|
Tubewells |
Medium Well drilling equipment needed. Borehole to be lined. |
Medium Mechanical pumping |
Suits deep underground aquifer. Needs maintenance of mechanical pumps. |
| River/lake extraction | High Design and construction intake |
High Treatment and pumping usually needed |
Last resort Filtration essential. Maintenance required for filtration and dosing plant. |
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