Riding for Afghanistan: Water and sanitation in schools

 

The 3 proposed schools - Esterghech # 1, Esterghech # 2 and Sang Sabz to build new water points were assessed by ACF.

 

The comments and recommendations are as below:

 

Esterghech # 1 and Esterghech # 2

 

Population

There is one director for both schools. These two schools are located 100m away from each other. The context is roughly the same, meaning that we will study these two ones at the same time.

 

Esterghech # 1

Boys school.

1170 students in 18 classes.

The classes are organized in two shifts. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The school buildings are very new and very well maintained.

 

Esterghech # 2

Primary schools for girls.

700 students in 12 classes.

The classes are organized in two shifts. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The school buildings are very new and very well maintained.

 

Water issue

4 years ago, the water distribution of the school was connected to a spring. This spring was used at the same time by other people of the village. Because of the low yield in summer time and lack of drinking and irrigation water during the drought, the community situated upstream to the school cut the pipe and is now keeping all the water for them. Since that time, the students are drinking the water coming from a river situated 100m away of the school or are coming with their own water from home.

 

Second spring catchments with a concrete water tank are located in the village. To connect that one to the school will be very easy. But the population disagrees to do it. They are afraid to not have enough water in summer time for drinking and irrigation issue. Some people said us that if we decide to use that water tank, for sure the people will cut the pipe at night. This is interesting to note that the Wakil of the village and the director of the school are benefiting water coming from this water tank for personal issue. And that they don’t want to act such as facilitator with the community about that issue.

 

Because the population disagrees to share the water available with the school, the only solution is to drill a private borehole in the school compound. To optimize the cost and running cost, a join borehole and water tank for both schools is the best solution for them.

 

Sanitation issue

There is a block of 8 vault latrines. These ones are very clean and well maintained. Only a small improvement of the vault trap has to be done.

 

Geological issue

The school is situated on the hillside meaning that the soil is very rocky and is requiring a rotary machine to drill the borehole. A clinic in the area has an 80m depth borehole.

 

Cost for the drilling of an 8m m depth borehole by rotary (including transport) + casing + gravel pack + generator + submersible pump + water tank + pump house = $17,000.

 

Sustainability issue

The ACF approach for the sustainability of this kind of sensitive and expensive infrastructures was clearly discussed and explained to the school member and to the Wakil of Estergech.

 

ACF is always giving the priority to the sustainability before to launch any water system program. Our approach for this type of system is as follows:

 

Creation of a water committee which will be in charge of the operation and maintenance of the system.

This water committee will be in charge of:

- water fee collection for the operation and maintenance cost

- operation and maintenance of the system. Care takers and Mechanics have to be identified and trained to ensure that they will be able to identify any malfunctions and to repair them with efficiency

- cleanness of the water point.

 

ACF is requesting the school to make a deposit of 10% ($1,600) of the total cost (MRRD policy) in Bank such as commitment to show their involvement in the project and their motivation to take care of the system. This deposit is as well necessary to ensure that money will be available in bank to pay the fuel for the generator and to buy spare parts or to pay any required repairing in case one component is broken.

 

ACF was very clear that no activities will start if the $1,600 will not be in bank. To get this advance is a commitment indicator from the community, but this is not enough to ensure the sustainability of the system. To ensure a permanent cash flow to pay on a long term the running cost, the families have to pay a monthly/regular fee to the water committee.

 

ACF is considers that to involve the school members and parents of the pupils in the water committee and to involve the committee on a regular money collection process are the only ways to ensure that the cash will always be available for any running cost, maintenance and repairing purpose.

The answer of the community was as following:

 

It seems that the community doesn’t have the capacity to provide this money or to contribute on a monthly fee.

They are asking us to give them 2 pumps and 2 generators in spare parts, but they are not able to explain how they will repair the one which will be broken. Meaning that we can anticipate that when the available equipment will be broken it will never be repaired and the students will go back to the river to fetch water.

 

Recommendation

Our point of view is a bit critical regarding these two schools.

 

The monthly average income in the area is around $300 (15,000Afg). But the people are not ready to pay 100Afg ($2) per month to ensure that their children will access to water.

The people are not ready to share the available water coming from the two springs.

The people consider that the children have to continue to access to water coming from the river instead to pay a small amount of money.

 

Even if these two schools are in need of safe water, ACF would not advise to target these two schools in priority to implement new water points.

 

By experience, ACF knows that the sustainability of this kind of project is linked to two parameters:

 

The motivation of the community to pay water fee to sustain on a long term the water system.

An identified need in terms of water, coming from the population. Since the people are considering that the children are not lacking of water (river access), the people don’t understand why they have to pay to provide water to the schools.

 

To implement and sustain a water project in this context requires a long and deep negotiation and information process to inform all the community about hygiene promotion, safe drinking water, water related disease, strong medical statistic about water related disease… This process is very long and it is not even sure in the end that the people will change their mind or motivation about this process.

 

This doesn’t mean that we have to forget these two schools, but in case of the same level of needs, the most motivated population has to be chosen.

 

This approach will ensure that:

 

-  The sustainability will be increasing, meaning that we will not waste money and the students will have the  benefit of the infrastructures for a long time.

 

- Another school targeted in the same area, where the sustainability will be higher due to a better involvement of the population, will be considered as a pilot project, meaning that we can anticipate that the non-motivated villages in the neighborhood can change their mind seeing that this kind of social organization is possible.

           

Sang Sabz

 

There are two assessed schools in Sang Sabz: The boys school and the girls school.

 

The Sang Sabz boys school

Has a protected and working water hand pump. The latrines condition is good as well.

No water and sanitation activities are required.

 

The Sang Sabz girls school

 

Population

400 students in 3 classes.

The classes are organized in three shifts.

The school buildings are new and very well maintained.

 

Sanitation issue

The latrine condition is very good.

The latrines status is very clean and protected. No activity has to be done to improve them.

 

Water issue

A well has been constructed inside the school compound, but that one has collapsed two years ago because of bad technical design (No concrete ring to reinforce the soil inside the well). The school members have tried several times to rehabilitate that one, but it remains unsuccessful and non usable. 

 

This school has currently no water point inside and around the school.

This school is assessed by ACF in real need of safe drinking water.

 

Because of the bad technical design, the rehabilitation of the existing well is very difficult and the result will not be as good as if we dig a new one. The cost will be approximately the same.

 

The geology in the area is not rocky and the borehole can be drilled by cable and tools (percussion) drilling machine. Which is definitely less expensive that the rotary technology.

 

School play ground with the non active water point.

 

Recommendation

ACF proposed for this school:

- to drill with percussion on a depth equal to 50m.

- to install a PVC casing with a standard strainer.

- to install gravel pack around this casing.

- to install an Afridev hand pump.

- to install the traditional MRRD apron.

- to setting up a water committee in the school to take care of the hand pump in term of operation and Maintenance. - tools and Spare parts for the hand pump will be given to them.

- to organize hygiene promotion session for the teachers and students.

To distribute hygiene kit including: two 20L jerry can per class,2 jerry cans for the care takers, 400 plastic cup for drinking purpose, to distribute 3 water metallic container with tap to install near the latrine to ensure that the student will wash their hands after toilet use and 30 bars of soap to launch the hand washing process.

Cost: 4,500$.

 

In addition ACF would like to propose you two additional schools ACF has assessed in the area.

 

Esterghech # 3

One school in need of water and sanitation has been assessed in Khja Sharap and will be called: Esterghech #3. Khja Sharap is situated 5 km for away from the center of Esterghech. This school belongs to the same school director that for Esterghech #1 and #2.

 

Population

Girls and boys school.

450 students in 9 classes.

The classes are organized in two shifts. One in the morning and one in the afternoon.

The school buildings are very new.

 

Water issue

2 years ago, the water distribution of the school was connected to a spring. But all the system collapsed because of bad technical design. The pipe between the spring catchment and the water tank and the pipe between the water tank and the school were not buried in a 1m trench. The catchment is not done properly. The spring catchment is situated in a gully where every year the snow is melting carrying rock along. These rocks cut the pipes in several places and damaged some collecting box.

 

The existing tap stand inside the school is not feeding anymore and as a consequence the children have to walk 400m in the mountain to reach the water tank where a small unprotected water trickle flows.

 

Existing tap stand inside the school compound, but no water is feeding it anymore.

 

Existing water tank. This one has to be rehabilitated, cleaned and disinfected.

 

Existing connection between the water tank and a neighbor.

This type of connection is not protected and a lot of water is wasted

by infiltration.

 

The spring is not protected. A spring catchment box

has to be build to catch and protect the water source

from any contamination.

 

Sanitation issue

There is a block of non working flush latrines. These ones are not used anymore because the system is not working without any water. A water tap for hand washing facilities is available but not working anymore.

 

The flush system latrine is not fed by water anymore, meaning that the latrines are non usable.

The students are defecating in open areas around the school and often in the corridor just in front of the existing latrines. No hand facilities are available.

 

Corridor full of excreta just in front of the latrines door and

of the hand washing facilities.

 

Recommendation

ACF proposal for this school:

 

Water - Spring catchment rehabilitation

To rehabilitate the spring catchment. This will protect the quality of the water and optimize the flow of water available.

To rehabilitate the concrete water tank.

To rehabilitate the water pipe network between the spring box and the water tank and between the water tank and the school.

To connect the water network on a 500L water tank in the school.

To connect the 500L water tank to the existing tap stand and to the latrines sink.

To transform the existing flush latrines in traditional vault latrine.

To set up a water committee in the school to take care of the spring catchment and of the vault latrines in terms of operation and maintenance.

To organize hygiene promotion sessions for the teachers and students.

To distribute hygiene kits including: two 20L jerry can per class, 2 jerry cans for the care takers, 450 plastic cup for drinking purpose and 40 bars of soap to launch the hand washing process. A safe excreta disposal kit will be distributed to the care taker as well.

Cost: $6,000.

 

Sustainability issue

Water network

The spring catchment, if well designed, has the advantage that this is very cheap in terms of operation and maintenance. The gravity fed system does not require any energy to work. Just a regular cleaning of the spring box and of the water storages is required.

Care takers will have to be trained to ensure that this easy work will be done on a regular basis.

 

Latrine

The vault latrines, which are without any septic tank, are very easy in terms of operation and maintenance. The vault just has to be emptied when is full with a shovel and to dispose of the excreta in a safe place. Since this is a rural area with a lot of cultivation, this can even be used such as fertilizer on the field. Training on safe excreta disposal will have to be done.

 

The flush latrines need to have a specific pump truck to empty the septic tank, which is very difficult to find and very costly in this kind of remote village.

 

Shakar Dara

One school in need of water and sanitation has been assessed in …In Chakar Dara district. Chakar Dara is in Kabul province and it situated between Kabul and Esterghesh (at around 20km far away from Sang Sabz).

ACF is currently implementing a project in the east of Chakar Dara.

The school described below is out of our current target area, meaning that we are contractually not able to improve the water and sanitation access there.  But the need in terms of water access is really a concern.

 

Population

Girls and boys school.

1102 students in 18 classes.

The classes are organized in one shift.

 

Water issue

This school has no existing water network system. The students are walking 700m to reach a non protected spring or a non protected ditch. The quality of the water is very bad. This school is situated far away from the village around, meaning that the students are very tired and thirsty arriving at school. The need in terms of water is very important.

 

Sanitation issue

There are 8 vault latrines in school. The status of these latrines is very weak and has to be rehabilitated. The cleanliness of that one is awful. 

No hand washing facilities are available.

Because of lack of cleanliness and of bad condition, the students are often defecating in open area around the school, which a big hygiene concern. This situation is even worse for the girls for whom the open defecation is culturally very difficult.

No hand facilities are available.

 

Recommendation - ACF proposes for this school -

Water: Spring catchment rehabilitation.

To build a spring catchment box.

To install a water tank in the school compound.

To build a water pipe network between the spring box and the water.

To build a tap stand system in the school compound.

To rehabilitate and improve the traditional vault latrine.

To set up a water committee in the school to take care of the spring catchment and of the vault latrines in terms of operation and maintenance.

To organize hygiene promotion sessions for the teachers and students.

To distribute hygiene kits including: two 20L jerry can per class, 2 jerry cans for the care takers, 450 plastic cups for drinking purposes and 40 bars of soap to launch the hand washing process. A safe excreta disposal kit will be distributed to the care taker as well.

Cost: US$7,000

  

Sustainability issue:

Water network:

The spring catchment, if well design, has an advantage in that this is very cheap in terms of operation and maintenance. The gravity fed system does require any energy to work. Just a regular cleaning of the spring box and of the water storage is required.

 

Care takers will have to be trained to ensure that this easy work will be done on a regular basis.

 

Latrine

The vault latrines, which are without any septic tank, are very easy in terms of operation and maintenance. The vault just has to be emptied when it is full with a shovel and to dispose the excreta in as safe place. Since this is a rural area with a lot of cultivation, this can even be used such as fertilizer on the field. Training on safe excreta disposal will have to be done.

 

ACF support to AADO for the project implementation

After signing of MoU between AADO and ACF in which all the responsibilities of each other will be clearly describe, ACF can support AADO in the following tasks:

 

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the local Authorities:

Every implementation in schools in Afghanistan has to be coordinated and approved by the local authorities in charge. Meaning that an agreement formalized through an official MoU has to be signed between the AADO/ACF and the branch in charge of the infrastructure of the Ministry of Education.

In this MoU all the responsibilities of each other will be described as well all the activities.

 

ACF knows very well the process and has a good relationship with the key persons to meet to formalize this quite quickly: around one week.

ACF can support AADO on this administrative task.

To write the MoU.

To meet the key people in the ministry for submission and approbation.

 

As result of this MoU, the Ministry will provide us with an official letter to submit to the education department at provincial level to ensure that we will have their full support on that issue.

 

Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the schools representative, AADO and the Provincial Education Department:

 

To ensure that all the responsibilities will be clear for all the actors, a tripartite MoU has to be signed between AADO/ACF, the schools representative (Including some parents) and the Provincial Education Department.

In this MoU will be described all the activities which will be done in each school as well the responsibilities of each other in the implementation and sustainability of the new infrastructures.

 

Implementation process

ACF can support AADO on all implementation phases:

 

Sub contracting process.

Technical design can be done by ACF.

Bill of quantities can be done by ACF.

ACF knows very good, cheap and quick sub contractors able to drill and install hand pumps.

ACF is currently working in partnership with a local NGO who will be very good for the latrines and spring catchment work. This National NGO can start the activity very quickly as well.

ACF can support on cost negotiation before to sign any contract or MoU.

 

Implementation process.

ACF can support regular field visits to check the progress.

ACF can support regular field visits to check the quality of the work and the respect of the technical design.

ACF can organize with our own staff the hygiene promotion activities.

ACF can train the water committee and care takers.

ACF can support for the hand over process.

 

Total cost

Estimation of Project implementation: Around $17,500

Taxes (Regarding the Afghan law the organization which is implementating activities has to pay 2 or 6% of taxes of the total amount depending which license the sub contractor or supplier has: worst case = 6% à $1,050

 

Total of 18,850$ without ACF or AADO staff salary.