Engineering water and sanitation aid projects in the South Pacific
Annual Conference
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In these times of global awareness, citizens and governments in the developed world, feel a responsibility towards developing countries to aid their plight to access clean water and sanitation. Globally there are many aid organisations fundraising for and running water and sanitation infrastructure projects in developing nations. Most with the best intentions and motivations for the communities they serve. However, development projects are never as simple as implementing the solution and leaving. With most projects there are multiple factors at play which can affect a long-term successful outcome.
It is assumed that any water or sanitation aid project will have a positive impact on the health and prosperity of a community in need. However, if poorly planned or executed, development projects can be ineffective, or even have a detrimental effect on the community in the long-term. Poorly executed projects can be environmentally unsustainable, culturally inappropriate and create dependence on assistance from foreign governments and NGOs. Aid organisations need to carefully consider the way in which they implement projects to maximise the small window of opportunity and minimise the risk of project failure. Many projects, even well implemented ones, fail due to poor maintenance of the infrastructure in the years after the project has been completed.
As a newly developed voluntary organization, of professional qualified engineers, Engineers Without Borders New Zealand (EWBNZ) is open to learn from the experience of others, including the obstacles and outcomes in water and sanitation projects. EWBNZ focuses on problem solving and practical solutions with sustainable outcomes.
This paper discusses some of the issues and difficulties which have been experienced by individuals and organizations when implementing water and sanitation (wash) aid projects in developing countries. In particular, with a focus on the situation, problems and logistics of completing aid projects in the area of the world known as Oceania. The intention is to begin developing a best practice guideline that can be used in water and sanitation aid, based on lessons learnt from past projects. In particular this paper discusses the contribution an engineering mentality can make to the following traditional areas of development studies: