The strength of the Turkana Jet – a wind feature which carries water vapour from the Indian Ocean across East Africa to Central Africa – is underestimated in current weather and climate models. New observations of the jet by researchers from the Kenya Met Department, the University of Nairobi and the University of Oxford have been used as a benchmark for UK Met Office forecasting models for East Africa.
Research theme
Story of Change: Open source tools and skills for climate information flows
Reducing barriers to sharing and making use of climate information is vital for climate resilience. In Ethiopia’s Awash Basin, REACH partners have been working together to build tools to facilitate the use of climate data from weather and streamflow gauging stations. Weekly collaborative coding sessions form a long-term capacity building interaction.
Story of Change: Sustainable management of sedimentation risks in coastal rivers in southwest Bangladesh
1.3 million people in Coastal Bangladesh are impacted by severe waterlogging due to riverbed sedimentation. This Story of Change presents work by a research team from the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and the Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) to characterize hydrodynamic processes and sediment transport dynamics in the area, with potential implications for different types of interventions. Recommendations include increasing freshwater flows by restoring upstream river-river and river-floodplain connectivity and reducing “repeated dredging” of the same area.
Water chemistry poses health risks as reliance on groundwater increases: A systematic review of hydrogeochemistry research from Ethiopia and Kenya
This article systematically reviews groundwater chemistry results from 160 studies from Ethiopia and Kenya to evaluate potential health risks. The results indicate that chemical contaminants occur widely in groundwaters used for drinking but not regularly monitored: 78% of studies reported exceedance of contaminants that have direct health consequences, and 81% reported exceedance of aesthetic parameters. This demonstrates that universal and equitable access to safe drinking water will not be achieved without wider implementation of groundwater treatment.
Performances et perspectives des services d’eau potable en milieu rural en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone
Cette étude porte sur l’évolution des politiques d’approvisionnement en eau potable (AEP) en milieu rural en Afrique de l’Ouest francophone et sur les performances de la délégation des services d’eau en milieu rural. Dans de nombreux pays, il existe un fossé entre la théorie et la pratique, avec des modèles alternatifs de fourniture de services d’eau en milieu rural coexistant avec des arrangements informels, alors que les services auraient dû être délégués.
Performance and prospects of rural drinking water services in francophone West Africa
This study looks at the evolution of rural water supply policies in francophone West Africa and the performance of the delegation of rural water services. In many countries there is a gap between theory and practice, with alternative models for rural water services delivery co-existing with informal arrangements, where services should have been delegated.
Story of Change: Fit-for-purpose labs for monitoring and managing rural water supplies
In Nepal, Kenya and Bangladesh, researchers working with practitioners and local governments have established fit-for-purpose (FFP) laboratories to support reliable water quality monitoring and operational management of rural water systems
Results-based funding for safe drinking water services
This working paper presents an approach that advances contracts for results-based funding to incentivise delivery of safe drinking water services
Hydrochemical and isotopic characteristics of the Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer System (LAAS) in Northwestern Kenya and implications for sustainable groundwater use in dryland urban areas
This paper assesses the Lodwar Alluvial Aquifer System (LAAS), a crucial resource to northwestern Kenya amid its drylands and unreliable surface water supply. The researchers aimed to study the aquifers hydrochemical and isotopic characteristics to better understand how to manage this groundwater system. Therefore, during the May 2018 wet season, they collected 112 water samples to establish isotopic compositions of rain, spring, surface water and groundwater. Understanding recharge sources and aquifer vulnerability of similar strategic aquifers can help scientists appropriately advise policymakers and the water community who develop sustainable water use, aquifer protection and conservation strategies. As well as providing insight in this regard, the study contributes scientific evidence of isotopic compositions of groundwater in the Horn of Africa.
Hydrogeologic Constraints for Drinking Water Security in Southwest Coastal Bangladesh: Implications for Sustainable Development Goal 6.1
This article analyzes drinking water security in southwest coastal Bangladesh, through an in-depth field investigation. It reveals that the exponential growth of groundwater-based technologies, such as tube wells, does not necessarily indicate the actual safe drinking water coverage in coastal areas, due to complex hydrogeology with the high spatial variability of groundwater salinity risks.
