A Nigerian NGO and its good works (Part 1)

Rural Africa Water Development Project (RAWDP), a Nigerian NGO, is currently promoting the Mor-sand filter in the restive oil rich Niger Delta region. The Mor-sand Filter, an improved adaptation of the slow-sand filter, integrates the combination of coagulation and filtration as effective processes significant in the reduction of the concentration of microorganisms in water. It markedly differs from the ordinary slow-sand filter by its adoption of a Moringa oleifera seed paste layer. This layer offers coagulation, a traditional first unit process in conventional water treatment that is crucial for the removal of impurities in water.

The Filter offers the average household in Nigeria an affordable Point of Use water filter that is rugged in an impoverished economy. Its construction is completed using local materials and labour, contributing to local economies. The technology is simple to use, and does not require major changes in water use habits to be effective. The project was funded by the World Bank Development Marketplace, and aims to assist households in oil producing communities to maximize the quality of their drinking water supply and free them from the burdens of ill-health caused by human and industrial pollution.

One major highlight of the return on investment of this intervention was a reversal of between 5-25% of most of the extant poor situation and the discovery that Household level water quality intervention though crucial for well being also needs being tandem with basic hygiene promotion and sanitation improvement for optimum effect in any target milieu. Findings from 7 of the intervention communities; Obeabor community, Imo State; Onicha Ukwani community, Delta State; Esit Eket community, Akwa Ibom State; Egbema community,Rivers State; Elebele community, Bayelsa State; Rivers; Ukwa community, Abia State; and Igbokoda community, Ondo State.

The project aimed to assist households in oil producing communities to maximize the quality of their drinking water supply and free them from the burdens of ill-health caused by human and industrial pollution. In producing these filters, RAWDP also trained independent entrepreneurs on how to make them, thus assisting them to earn livelihood and widen distribution within record time.

As a means of monitoring progress toward the goals and objectives set in the project ‘’Mor-Sand Filters for oil producing communities’’ (Project 0336), as funded by the 2006 World Bank Development Market Place; Rural Africa Water Development Project (RAWDP) in collaboration with a multi-stakeholder group that comprised of traditional institutions, government line ministries, Community Based Organisations and community volunteers etc. developed a core set of indicators for effective Monitoring and Evaluation. A series of monitoring exercises preceded the evaluation using objectively verifiable indicators and tools.

The objectives of the Monitoring and Evaluation of ‘Project 0336’ included the need to measure progress against objectives and performance standards, and to enable accountability to donors, partners and people affected by the project. This was carried out to ensure that the overall objectives of the project which were to assist households in oil producing communities to maximize the quality of their drinking water supply and free them from the burdens of ill-health caused by human and industrial pollution; as well as the training of independent filter technicians/entrepreneurs were being achieved. These relate the existing situation with situations pre and post project introduction periods with a view at assessing any likely improvement in the project life cycle.

A background analysis of the intervention showed that Public health concerns associated with industrial pollution, high population density and poorly managed on-site sanitation systems are still ravaging oil producing communities of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Many local studies indicate serious threats of high population density and on-site sanitation to drinking water sources in the Niger delta area.

This is particularly true for local streams/rivers as well as ground water resources where high hydraulic loading, greater than 50mm per day often overcomes barriers posed by vertical separation or soil media. Also worrisome is the fact that the region is a coastal area with a sensitive ecosystem. This is further worsened by unmitigated industrial pollutions which contaminate water with manganese, lead, heavy metals and unstable pH. The immediate result of this situation is a threatened water supply source.

This causes serious ailments to the people and worsens their impaired productivity and environment. About 5 million households found in the oil-bearing Niger delta communities are vulnerable to these concerns. The persistent restiveness and recent hostage-taking in the region underscores the uncomfortable dimension the situation has assumed.

The ‘Mor-sand Filter for oil producing communities’ addresses the aforementioned problems by offering the average household an affordable Point of Use water filter that is resilient and rugged in an impoverished economy. The Mor-Sand Filter, a household water treatment device, is an innovative solution to the endemic poor water quality in the region. It is an improved adaptation of the age-long slow sand filter. It recognizes and integrates the fact that the combination of coagulation and filtration is very effective in significantly reducing the concentration of microorganisms and hence the burden of disinfection.

A base project secretariat was set up in Owerri, Imo State, in November 2006. This was intended to serve as a collation and administrative base of the various activities in the seven oil producing communities were the field actions are happening. Guiding our choice in selecting Owerri were factors such as; its equidistant location to each of the other seven oil producing states; it currently hosts RAWDP head office in Nigeria; and it is the most peaceful and tranquil of all Niger Delta States.

It is good to note that many water, sanitation and infrastructure projects fail to provide the benefits originally envisaged. The success of projects depends on a number of factors, for example demand, affordability, sustained functioning and maintenance, management and user behaviour (hygiene and use). In addition are the factors of planning, monitoring and evaluation. It was in realization of all these that project monitoring and evaluation was mainstreamed in the “Mor-sand filter for oil producing communities’’ as an imperative strategy to check and control error and optimize the benefits of the project as reported.

Monitoring is relevant not only to progress in the field but also to managerial, administrative and financial processes within the organisation as the project implementer. It was achieved by establishing a monitoring system that both collects relevant information on progress and communicates it to relevant parties. Evaluation enables RAWDP to compare actual project outcomes with those intended, and from this draws lessons to guide future projects or subsequent phases of the same project. Evaluation in RAWDP was used to guide strategy; measure performance; correct errors; and verify cost benefit analysis.

To be continued.

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