Challenges and Opportunities for Safe Water in Mozambique
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Challenges and Opportunities For Safe Water Supply in Mozambique Matsinhe, Nelson 2008 Link to publication Citation for published version (APA): Matsinhe, N. (2008). Challenges and Opportunities For Safe Water Supply in Mozambique. Department of Water Resources Engineering, Lund Institute of Technology, Lund University. 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LUND UNIVERSITY PO Box 117 221 00 Lund +46 46-222 00 00 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS During the five years of work that has resulted in this thesis many people have contributed in one way or another and I am grateful to all of you; but there are some who deserve much gratitude for their support and guidance. First of all, I would like to thank Professor Kenneth M. Persson, my supervisor, for guidance, encouragement and advice throughout the thesis work. Thank you for always taking time for discussion of the work even, when you had none. I also thank Professors Lars Bengtsson and Rolf Larsson for giving me the opportunity to join the Department of Water Resources Engineering of Lund University and for facilitating the cooperation between Eduardo Mondlane University and Lund University. The field work and laboratory experiments used in this thesis have been possible thanks to numerous people that have not only helped with the experiments but also with interesting discussions and suggestions to keep the work on despite some difficulties encountered. Maria das Dores for the most of water chemistry analysis performed and Alfredo Manuel for always fixing the equipment deserve grateful appreciation. I am also particularly grateful to Malin Kajsa, Anna Lindquist, Emelie Arnoldsson and Maria Bergman for having conducted research work that helped produce two of the six papers of this thesis. All colleagues from the Department of Water Resources Engineering are thanked for making me feel at home in Lund and share their happy mood at coffee breaks and pubs. Special thanks to my friends Juizo and Luuk Rietveld, for all fruitful discussions and suggestions. This research was conducted as part of an ongoing research project jointly implemented by Eduardo Mondlane University and Lund University which is funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency-SIDA-SAREC. I am grateful to their support. I dedicate this thesis, to Paula and Malik, my wife and son. Thanks for your love and encouragement during this journey. Nelson Matsinhe I ABSTRACT In Mozambique, despite considerable investments in the promotion of drinking water supplies, the access to quality water of sufficient quantity for the majority of people is still far from optimal. Current official figures report that nearly half of the country´s population and about 45 per cent of urban residents do not have access to safe water. As a result of poor performance or absence of public water services, in most areas, informal private operators supply water to the most of underserved populations. Management of drinking water quality is inadequate and is affected by limitations at production and distribution level. This research included an analysis of drinking water supply aspects of Mozambique with the view to contribute to the understanding of the factors affecting present drinking water supply and the challenges facing the water governance sector in developing and maintaining sustainable drinking water supplies. Emphasis was put on identifying critical factors affecting production and management of drinking water quality. The analysis of water quality aspects shown that present limitations in water safety and water quality are due mainly to lack of adequate treatment, inadequate management of distribution and lack of knowledge among operators. The quality of water sources used for drinking water production is very similar to that of many other parts of the world and the methods used for water treatment are, suited for production of excellent treated water quality. However, poor knowledge and inefficient operation of treatment processes causes drinking water production to be ineffective. Methods of improving drinking water treatment were also investigated. For reasons of sustainability, low cost treatment methods were selected. Pre-treatment with up-flow roughing filtration and use of natural coagulants (Moringa Oleifera) for water treatment were the methods tested. The results proven that if properly incorporated in the drinking water treatment strategy of the country, these methods can provide a viable and sustainable alternative for improved drinking water production. Service quality aspects of informal private operators were also analysed. It was concluded that they provide a reliable alternative for access and for expansion of service delivery to areas lacking piped water supply. It was also concluded that present human health risks for consumers relying on these services are comparable to that of formal water supplies. However, the lack of an inclusive regulatory framework to this type of service providers limits the possibilities for regulation of their activities. Therefore, regulation aspects around formal and informal service providers formed part of the research and a proposal for expanding the existing regulatory framework was presented. Licensing and regulatory functions needed are presented. The main conclusion of this study is that two major factors affect drinking water supply in Mozambique specifically; limited service coverage and; limitations in water safety and water quality caused by lack of adequate treatment, poor management of water distribution and lack of knowledge among operators. The main contribution of this study is to the water governance sector of Mozambique and it refers to the various possibilities offered by methods tested during this study, for sustainable improvement of drinking water production. In addition, the findings of the discussion of the drinking water supply situation looking not only at quantity but also at quality aspects of service delivery as was done in this study, will hopefully help the sector redefine its strategy of addressing drinking water supply in Mozambique. II CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................... I ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... II APPENDED PAPERS ......................................................................................................................... V RELATED PUBLICATIONS .................................................................................................................VI 1. INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................................1 1.1 Background and identification of the Problem..........................................................1 1.2 Objectives of the research .............................................................................................2 1.3 Overall methodology ......................................................................................................3 1.4 Thesis structure and appended papers .......................................................................3 2. OVERVIEW OF THE DRINKING WATER SUPPLY SECTOR OF MOZAMBIQUE.......................5 2.1 Background on the study area......................................................................................5 2.2 Overview of the legal and institutional framework ....................................................6 2.3 Drinking water supply options and choice of technology........................................8 2.4 Drinking water treatment methods and quality criteria............................................9 2.5 Alternative water supplies.............................................................................................10 3. METHODOS..............................................................................................................................12 3.1 Field work .........................................................................................................................12 3.2 Sources of data and choice of water quality variables..........................................12 3.3 Situation analysis with respect to drinking water treatment and efficiency .......13 3.4 Situation analysis with respect to drinking water quality .........................................13 3.5 Laboratory testing ..........................................................................................................14