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Greetings,
Embracing all the challenges and lessons learned from the pandemic, the Desert Research Institute's (DRI's) Center for International Water and Sustainability (CIWAS) has fully resumed all our international WASH programming and research. With new innovative approaches to WASH and science, DRI-CIWAS’s main mission is to provide technical support and action research to stakeholders across the developing world by identifying and solving issues related to human health and the management of environmental resources, especially water.
As always, on behalf of the DRI/CIWAS team and other DRI colleagues, I thank you for your interest and support for our work to improve lives.
- Braimah Apambire, Director
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| WASH Capacity Building Program
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After a year and a half long hiatus, the WASHCap Program resumed the in person, face-to-face (F2F) sessions this year with World Vision staff. After completing their online coursework, Cohort 7 travelled to Bolgatanga, northern Ghana for their F2F sessions from May 23rd to June 10th. Cohort 7 has 35 students from 24 countries. This is the first cohort to have students from Iraq, South Africa, and Papua New Guinea. The vast diversity of students allows for rich discussions and dynamic exchange of experiences and knowledge during the classes. Till date, 205 students from 32 countries from Asia Pacific, Africa, and Middle East have graduated from the WASHCap Program.
The F2F sessions included field trips to World Vision Ghana Bawku West Program Area, the Tono Irrigation Project, and Upper East Region Water Supply Project. The students completed a full water quality field kit testing on locally collected water samples as well. As part of their group work, the students participated in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Group Debate and analyzed World Vision WASH Business Plans. The students also had opportunities to integrate cultural exchanges with the local Ghanaian community. With the successful end of the Spring F2F sessions, the students are excited to begin their Fall semester online classes in August and the Fall F2F lessons in Tanzania in November 2022.
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Hon. Kefentse Mzwinila, Minister of Lands and Water Affairs (MLWA), Permanent Secretary Ms. Bonolo Khumotaka, and CEO of WUC Mr. Gaselemogwe Senai, visited DRI as a part of the Botswana Delegation along with Honorary Consul in Nevada, Dr. Michael Gordon. Several DHS faculty, including Braimah, participated in a meeting with the delegation regarding groundwater utilization, exploration, and development, as well as climate change and its resilience through sustainable water management and modeling.
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Refresher training in Tamale, Ghana: March 17th, 2022: A one-day refresher training was held for all the CRs in Ghana to reassess their progress and activities for the past year, address issues of concern, and plan coordinated activities for the upcoming year. Due to budgetary constraints, CRs will be conducting minor repairs in the three districts. CRs were also instructed on new reporting templates that will be used in collaboration with the district government personnel to submit updates about the boreholes, maintenance, and water situation. More borehole repairs will follow in April. In addition to the training, plans were also made to pilot a training workshop specifically designed for women entrepreneurs who are actively involved in water tariff collection for capacity building.
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In June 2022, Braimah along with local CIWAS partners conducted field visits in the three CR districts to inspect the progress. Meetings were also held with the District Chief Executive Officers, their staff, and the Circuit Riders. CIWAS donated spare parts as well as tools for the repair and maintenance of water systems for the Circuit Riders to use in all three districts.
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| Circuit Rider Program, Malawi
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CIWAS' program in health care facilities (HCFs) in Northern Malawi continues its work. DRI staff have been holding monthly meetings with the Circuit Riders (CRs) to track their progress and support the CRs as they provide repairs and maintenance to the health care facility water, sanitation and waste management systems. In addition, a pilot project to provide chlorination treatment to water supplied to the HCFs is being put together as results from water quality testing done by the CRs has shown that many HCF systems are contaminated with coliforms.
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DRI and CIWAS are researching the use of Moringa oleifera (MO) plant extract with electrocoagulation (EC) technology to remove fluoride from drinking water. MO-EC technology is low-cost and uses local materials that can be easily procured in rural communities. Following the successful lab experiments, the fluoride removal project is currently being developed into a full-scale prototype. The prototype will be tested on wells in groundwaters in NV that contain fluoride in excess of the WHO guideline limit of 1.5% mg/L. This will allow for the collection of preliminary data on the operation, maintenance, and waste disposal methods required. With the results from the preliminary piloting, the MO-EC technology will further be piloted in Ghana and deployed in rural communities.
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| Meetings with US Embassy in Ghana
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Braimah held meetings with the US Embassy in Ghana to discuss a project to address environmental and water resources degradation in the Birim Watershed. The project is being developed by DRI in partnership with several Ghanaian government and private institutions. The proposed work will provide empirical scientific evidence of the state of water quality in water bodies across Ghana, which will in turn highlight related impacts on human health, ecosystem sustainability, and socioeconomic well-being. Results will also be used to help more effectively monitor illegal mining and restore damaged farmlands and degraded environmental resources across the country.
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MWA Board Meeting Member Spotlight Presentation
Braimah presented at the Millennium Water Alliance (MWA) Board Meeting to introduce DRI – CIWAS and our projects. MWA was founded in 2002 to offer sustainable WASH solutions through joint advocacy, sharing knowledge, and collaborative programming and coordinate efforts among members. Including DRI, MWA has 19 affiliate members. Through the Spotlight presentation, CIWAS has already started to connect and identify possible collaboration opportunities with other member organizations.
2022 NWRA Annual Conference
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Ms. Palistha Shrestha participated in the Nevada Water Resources Association Annual Conference in LV and won 1st place in the Student Poster Competition Awards. She presented on her Thesis Research titled “Sequentially Coupled Moringa oleifera Seed Extract and Electrocoagulation Technology for Fluoride Removal.” The study reported >90% fluoride removal rate for waters with up to 15 mg/L of fluoride concentration.
Rotary Webinar
Braimah presented at the Rotary World Water Day webinar on Water boreholes about “Managing water from the borehole to the community.” The presentation focused on technical aspects of borehole water supply and distribution such as pumping, water sample testing, handpumps, and mechanical water lifting systems. Recontamination of water supply from the borehole to the community level was also extensively discussed.
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