Improving water security for the poor
REACH Stories of Change
Professor Rob Hope (University of Oxford), Professor Katrina Charles (University of Oxford), Dr Sonia Hoque (University of Oxford), Dr Maggie Opondo (University of Nairobi), Dr Saskia Nowicki (University of Oxford), Dr Meron Teferi Taye (IWMI), Professor Salome Bukachi (University of Oxford), Dr Ellen Dyer (University of Oxford) and Professor Dan Olago (University of Nairobi) reflect on the impact and legacy of the REACH programme. In particular, they discuss the way world-class science has transformed policy and practice in our focus countries of Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya.
Improving climate resilience through water security in Africa
20 million people living in the Horn of Africa have been affected by a recent and severe cycle of droughts. Better seasonal forecasts for the Horn of Africa’s arid and semi-arid lands will help governments, businesses and individuals put plans in place to reduce climate risks. Researchers Dr Meron Teferi Taye (IWMI), Professor Daniel Olago (University of Nairobi), Dr Florence Tanui (University of Nairobi) and Dr Ellen Dyer (University of Oxford) from the REACH programme’s Turkana and Awash Basin observatories describe how REACH research is translating into policy and practice in the area, with commentary from the Governor of Turkana County, Hon. Jeremiah Ekamais Lomorukai.
Rural Water Finance
In Africa and Asia, at any one time, 1 in 4 waterpoints are not working – when this happens, people must turn to dirtier, more distant, or more expensive sources with all the risks and costs involved. Professor Rob Hope (University of Oxford), Monirul Alam (UNICEF), Mr L.K. Atheeq (Government of Karnataka, India), and Iris Braun (share) present REACH programme work in Bangladesh, India, and Kenya to build results-based funding models for rural water services which incentivise effective maintenance.
Delivering Safe Water in Africa and Asia
90% of the world’s population have access to infrastructure that should give them safe drinking water, yet 2.1 billion people are still going without this vital resource. Prof Katrina Charles (University of Oxford) Sara Marks (Eawag – Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology), Mr Nurul Osman (HYSAWA, Dr Saskia Nowicki (University of Oxford) and Mr Robert Gakubia (Blackburn Associates Ltd) describe how REACH programme research teams in Kenya, Bangladesh and Nepal are addressing the challenge of delivering safe water.
Managing River Water Security
Industrial and domestic waste is causing river water quality hazards in growing cities across the world. Professor Abed Hossain (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology), Dr Sonia Hoque (Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford) and Dr Tena Alamirew (Water and Land Resource Centre, Addis Ababa University) discuss their work within the REACH programme to address river water security challenges in Ethiopia and Bangladesh.
