This working paper details the methodology used by the WISER collaboration within the REACH programme to explore how water insecurity is shaped by gender and social roles at household and community levels. The methods have been used to explore water security challenges such as flooding and salinity of drinking water in coastal Bangladesh; industrial growth in agricultural areas near Addis Ababa in Ethiopia; and water scarcity in Turkana County in northwest Kenya.
Research theme
Arsenic concentration in the unique Rift Valley Lake-Beseka: Sources, impact, and suggested technological interventions: A systematic review
This comprehensive study analyzed both public and unpublished sources to get detailed information on the sources, levels and impacts of arsenic in Lake Beseka, Ethiopia. The systematic review also covered effective technologies to remove arsenic from drinking water, such as ion exchange, coagulation/flocculation, and membrane technologies like ultrafiltration and electrodialysis. concluding that electrocoagulation, adsorption, and phytoremediation are the most efficient and cost-effective technologies.
REACH Programme Closure Report – Executive Summary
In 2024, REACH surpassed its target of improving water security for 10 million vulnerable people in Africa and Asia. Key achievements include major policy and investment changes to improve water security in the three focus countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia and Kenya. In Bangladesh, the government is using REACH research to guide USD20 billion of infrastructure investments to sequence and prioritise water treatment for Dhaka’s rivers. In the coastal zone, the government has made a 6-year national budget commitment to co-fund safe drinking water services in clinics and schools through a results-based contracting model. In Ethiopia, REACH’s research on river basin management is being scaled up through a new €45 million investment by the Government of the Netherlands. In Kenya, a major scientific breakthrough has improved understanding of regional climate systems affecting 25 million extremely water insecure people in the region. This Executive Summary presents key lessons and recommendations emerging from the ten-year programme.
Warming accelerates global drought severity
This paper uses an ensemble of high-resolution global drought datasets to analyse the extent to which a key driver, atmospheric evaporative demand (AED) impacts drought magnitude, frequency, duration and location. It finds that AED has increased drought severity by an average of 40% globally and that AED has an increasingly important role in driving severe droughts. This tendency will likely continue under future global warming scenarios.
REACH Story of Change: SafePani – Public finance to support safe drinking water in Bangladesh
The SafePani model guarantees reliable drinking water services, free from faecal contamination, to rural schools (primary and secondary) and community clinics in rural Bangladesh. SafePani represents a change in National WASH Policy and national planning in Bangladesh. For the first time, safe drinking water services will be ensured in public schools and community clinics with a sustainable funding model to ensure accountable service delivery to 2030.
We must account for the results of water governance to deliver the SDGs and beyond
This perspectives paper focuses on tracking the results of water governance, arguing that the crisis of water governance is one of delivering results, particularly as a widening range of public, community, and private actors get involved in addressing fundamental challenges around the SDGs and beyond. The challenge is illustrated via two examples of governance innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Participation, inclusion and reflexivity in multi-step (focus) group discussions
This paper draws on experiences of applying a cross-comparative approach (INITI8) combining community-based participant observation with focus group discussions in water security research across Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The authors reflect on the tensions and resulting re-work related to power dynamics in North-South and local collaborations, and on the socio-spatial inclusion implications of the research design, in particular definition of peri-urban areas and engagement with illiterate women in rural areas.
Managing contractual uncertainty for drinking water services in rural Mali
This paper examines how contract incompleteness affects the sustainability of professional rural water service delivery and explores how and to what extent an incomplete contract might be addressed. Applying contract theory to a professional service delivery model operating in rural Mali, it applies qualitative methods to provide new insights on the process and consequences of contract renegotiation.
Spatial and Seasonal Water Quality and Heavy Metal Pollution for Irrigation Use in Awash River, Ethiopia
Irrigation water quality impacts the agro-ecosystem, human health, and the overall well-being of the environment. The purpose of this study was to investigate upstream municipal and industrial pollution impacts on irrigated farming and ecosystem health. The suitability indices and Heavy Metal Pollution Index methods have been used to identify the contamination extent and corresponding spatial and seasonal variability. Samples were collected twice per annum, i.e., during the low-flow season and high-flow season (rainy season) in the 2022/23 year. Results demonstrate that metal pollution is a serious concern that needs upstream quality monitoring.
From participation to empowerment the case of women in community‑based water management in hydrologically diverse southwest coastal Bangladesh
Women’s participation in water management institutions (WMOs) is seen as a vehicle for female empowerment and gender equity, yet this does not guarantee women are actively involved in decision making. This paper investigates opportunities for women’s empowerment via participation in WMOs in water insecure southwest coastal Bangladesh. Using qualitative research tools and methods, the study examines the extent and nature of women’s participation in WMOs and the factors that affect the level of participation in varying hydrological settings.
