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Building climate-resilient communities

Building climate-resilient communities

How large-scale investment in water, sanitation and hygiene makes a lasting difference.

Alamerew Mulusew, a guard for the solar panel and water source, watering mango seedlings in a field in front of the solar panels in Sertekez village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia.

Alamerew Mulusew, a guard for the solar panel and water source, watering mango seedlings in Sertekez village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alamerew Mulusew, a guard for the solar panel and water source, watering mango seedlings in Sertekez village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

The climate crisis is a water crisis

One in ten people worldwide don’t have a reliable source of clean water, and the intensifying climate crisis is making this worse.

Extreme weather, floods and droughts are having a devastating impact, damaging communities’ access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services, pushing some people further into disease and poverty, and causing others to struggle for the first time. 
 
Without clean water, decent sanitation and good hygiene, it is impossible for people to cope with the impacts of climate change. For the people on the frontline of the climate crisis, strong, climate-resilient WASH services and systems are vital. 

Strong WASH = strong communities

Infrastructure that can withstand storms, floods and droughts is key. But making WASH services resilient to the effects of climate change is about much more than technology – empowering communities, supporting local governance and influencing for change nationally and globally are all essential elements of a WASH system communities can rely on long into the future. 
 
Our strategic approach to strengthening WASH systems enables us to instigate powerful change from local to global levels, boosting people’s resilience to climate change through safe and sustainable WASH. 
 
With funding raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, we worked with communities across Africa and Asia throughout 2021 to assess water security threats, improve access to climate-resilient WASH services, and plan and manage water resources. We engaged with key decision makers at local, regional, national and global levels to highlight the effects of climate change on communities’ access to WASH.

Investment at scale in this urgent issue of climate adaptation enabled us to take a blended approach. We worked with communities to build and strengthen infrastructure alongside influencing for wider change, and built on existing projects while also trialling new activities to expand our work on climate-resilient WASH. 

Explore the elements that make up an holistic climate-resilient WASH programme and the difference they make in helping vulnerable communities adapt to climate change. 

Purbo Durgabati Village, Burigoalini Union, Bangladesh (image: WaterAid/Drik/Farzana Hossen); Justine Sawadogo, 30, in her family's millet field in Bonam village, Burkina Faso (image: WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo); Hilda, 29, pours water from the well near her home in Chiango, Mozambique (image: WaterAid/People'e Postcode Lottery/Mario Macilau).

A bare tree in standing water in Purbo Durgabati Village, Bangladesh.
A woman standing with a pickaxe looking at the sky, in the middle of some small plants of millet in her dry family field in Bonam, Centre-North region, Burkina Faso.
Water pouring from a jerry can into a bucket in Chiango, Mozambique.

#1 Resilient facilities

WASH infrastructure must be able to withstand the effects of a changing climate, from extreme weather events to rising seas, to unreliable seasons. We supported communities and local authorities to build and strengthen WASH facilities that will last, whatever the future holds.

Water quality testing: Touna, Mali

Working with the Malian Association for Public Education and Environmental Protection, we analysed the quality of drinking water from boreholes in 11 villages in the rural commune of Touna. After confirming the water was clean, we built an additional water point in the village of Tigama, improving access to clean water for 1,828 people and enabling them to better cope with recurring floods and droughts. 

A woman pours water drawn from a well inside the women's market garden in Tigama, Bla, Mali.

Mayaman Malle, 55 (pictured), has worked in Tigama’s market garden for 20 years. The women who run the allotments had been struggling with a lack of water: “We started with two wells that dried up. We were doing our best with the wells, but some of us were losing motivation. We could hardly make one harvest per year,” said Mayaman.

A woman watering lettuce plants in her community's women's market garden, in Tigama, Bla, Mali.

The garden is central to the community, which relies on its produce for food and income. “The gardening means a lot to us. We consume and sell the vegetables we grow, which enables us to increase the quality of our food and to generate money to cover other expenses.”
 
“The construction of the borehole has motivated everyone again. We start earlier [in the year] and make two harvests now as we have more water available.” 

Main image: Mayaman Malle watering her onion plants. Focus images: Mayaman collects water from a well inside the women's market garden; Mayaman watering lettuce plants in the garden. (Images: WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo).

Pond-sand filter: Shyamnagar, Bangladesh 

Communities in the Shyamnagar region of Bangladesh face rapidly rising sea levels and increasingly frequent cyclones, which can contaminate drinking water sources with salty water. To solve the problem of water salinity, we built rainwater harvesting systems to provide clean water for more than 19,000 people. We also reached more than 4,500 people with water cleaned by pond sand filters, a system that removes contaminants by pumping water through several chambers containing sand and gravel. 

A woman collecting water from the pond sand filter in her community in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh.

Before we built a pond-sand filter to clean her village’s saline, unclean water supply, Sharmila Sardar, 26 (pictured), had to spend two to three hours a day travelling 3 km to collect water for her family, forcing her to close her grocery store in Purbo Durgabati and lose customers. The water from the village pond was not safe: “My children would always have a stomach ache from drinking the pond water, and we had to take them far away to get treated in the community clinic,” said Sharmila. “The main problem we face in our village is the salinity in the water. Our time and money would be wasted in worrying about getting filtered water.” 

Two women picking leaves in their garden in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh.

With a clean source close to home, Sharmila can keep the shop open all day, her family's health has improved and her business is thriving. “Now, having a pond sand filter nearby, I am able to give time to my business, take my children to school on time and look after my garden and [do] household chores.”

Main image: Sharmila Sardar inside her shop, in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh. Focus images: Sharmila collecting water from the pond sand filter; Sharmila and her mother-in-law in their garden. (Images: WaterAid/Drik/Farzana Hossen).

Solar power: Babati, Tanzania, and Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia

In the Babati district of Tanzania, we built a solar-powered water supply scheme giving about 2,500 people access to clean water. To make sure the system lasts, we supported the local water supply organisation to develop a business plan for meeting the costs of operation and maintenance.  

A man reaching into the control box of the solar panels that power his village's water supply.

We also installed solar-powered water supplies as part of our work in Burie Zuriya district, Ethiopia. Tafere Amanu, 40 (pictured), has lived in Derekwa all his life, farming crops to sell. Collecting water was challenging for Tafere’s family because there was not enough for the community, especially in drier seasons. The limited water they could collect made them ill.

Five men and women, members of their village WASH committee, standing in front of the water tower in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia.

He is now chair of Derekwa village water committee. “Now, we have clean water right outside of our doors,” he said. “This helps us to use our time and energy properly, and our children to become healthy and attend their school regularly. The community has benefitted a lot from this project.”

Main image: Tefere Amanu in front of the solar panels in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. Focus images: Tefere turning on the solar panels; Derkwa WASH Committee members, (left to right) Tiru Getahun, money collector, Priest Worke Banti, supervisor, Tafere Amanu, chairperson, Gedefiya Yirga, cashier, Yalgaya Zewde, vice chair of the WASHCo, in front of the new water collection chamber in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya. (Images: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Ecosystem-based adaptation: Mpologoma, Uganda

In the Mpologoma catchment in eastern Uganda, climate-induced disasters such as landslides, mudslides, droughts and floods are common, leading to the destruction of livelihoods, collapse of infrastructure, loss of lives and loss of biodiversity. Many people cut down trees for their livelihoods, unknowingly aggravating these impacts while also affecting the water cycle.  

Two men walking past a rice garden badly eroded by flash floods, in Marikiswa, Uganda.

We raised awareness of the importance of protecting ecosystems through local radio shows and activities such as planting trees to help reduce soil erosion and defend against flooding. We supported communities to plant more than 60,000 seedlings in the Upper Mpologoma sub-catchment, collaborating with district forest officers, who trained people to care for the seedlings. 

Two men, community elders, showing a District Agriculture Officer the impact of flash floods on their farms, in Marikiswa, Uganda.

Othieno Clement Okello, 62 (pictured), has lived in Pasaya-A village since he was a boy, witnessing the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable and farming becoming more difficult. “The heavy rains have caused flash floods, destroying our crops. The runoff water is too much, creating big gullies,” he said. To protect soil and crops from being washed away, we supported Othieno’s community to plant trees, such as eucalyptus, on the boundaries of their gardens.

Main image: Othieno Clement Okello standing near some of the eucalyptus trees the community in Pasaya-A village planted. Focus images: Othieno and his brother Owori Michael Okello walking past a rice garden with soils eroded by flash floods, in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda; Othieno and Owori showing Alexandra Nyayuki Barbara, Tororo District Agriculture Officer, the impact of flash floods on their farms. (Images: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Water quality testing: Touna, Mali

Working with the Malian Association for Public Education and Environmental Protection, we analysed the quality of drinking water from boreholes in 11 villages in the rural commune of Touna. After confirming the water was clean, we built an additional water point in the village of Tigama, improving access to clean water for 1,828 people and enabling them to better cope with recurring floods and droughts. 

A woman pours water drawn from a well inside the women's market garden in Tigama, Bla, Mali.

Mayaman Malle, 55 (pictured), has worked in Tigama’s market garden for 20 years. The women who run the allotments had been struggling with a lack of water: “We started with two wells that dried up. We were doing our best with the wells, but some of us were losing motivation. We could hardly make one harvest per year,” said Mayaman.

A woman watering lettuce plants in her community's women's market garden, in Tigama, Bla, Mali.

The garden is central to the community, which relies on its produce for food and income. “The gardening means a lot to us. We consume and sell the vegetables we grow, which enables us to increase the quality of our food and to generate money to cover other expenses.”
 
“The construction of the borehole has motivated everyone again. We start earlier [in the year] and make two harvests now as we have more water available.”

Main image: Mayaman Malle watering her onion plants. Focus images: Mayaman collects water from a well inside the women's market garden; Mayaman watering lettuce plants in the garden. (Images: WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo).

Pond-sand filter: Shyamnagar, Bangladesh 

Communities in the Shyamnagar region of Bangladesh face rapidly rising sea levels and increasingly frequent cyclones, which can contaminate drinking water sources with salty water. To solve the problem of water salinity, we built rainwater harvesting systems to provide clean water for more than 19,000 people. We also reached more than 4,500 people with water cleaned by pond sand filters, a system that removes contaminants by pumping water through several chambers containing sand and gravel. 

A woman collecting water from the pond sand filter in her community in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh.

Before we built a pond-sand filter to clean her village’s saline, unclean water supply, Sharmila (pictured) had to spend two to three hours a day travelling 3km to collect water for her family, forcing her to close her grocery store in Purbo Durgabati and lose customers. The water from the village pond was not safe: “My children would always have a stomach ache from drinking the pond water, and we had to take them far away to get treated in the community clinic,” said Sharmila. “The main problem we face in our village is the salinity in the water. Our time and money would be wasted in worrying about getting filtered water.” 

Two women picking leaves in their garden in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh.

With a clean source close to home, Sharmila can keep the shop open all day, her family's health has improved and her business is thriving. “Now, having a pond sand filter nearby, I am able to give time to my business, take my children to school on time and look after my garden and [do] household chores.”

Main image: Sharmila Sardar inside her shop, in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh. Focus images: Sharmila collecting water from the pond sand filter; Sharmila and her mother-in-law in their garden. (Images: WaterAid/Drik/Farzana Hossen).

Solar power: Babati, Tanzania, and Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia

In the Babati district of Tanzania, we built a solar-powered water supply scheme giving about 2,500 people access to clean water. To make sure the system lasts, we supported the local water supply organisation to develop a business plan for meeting the costs of operation and maintenance.  

A man reaching into the control box of the solar panels that power his village's water supply.

We also installed solar-powered water supplies as part of our work in Burie Zuriya district, Ethiopia. Tafere Amanu, 40 (pictured), has lived in Derekwa all his life, farming crops to sell. Collecting water was challenging for Tafere’s family because there was not enough for the community, especially in drier seasons. The limited water they could collect made them ill.

Five men and women, members of their village WASH committee, standing in front of the water tower in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia.

He is now chair of Derekwa village water committee. “Now, we have clean water right outside of our doors,” he said. “This helps us to use our time and energy properly, and our children to become healthy and attend their school regularly. The community has benefitted a lot from this project.”

Main image: Tefere Amanu in front of the solar panels in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. Focus images: Tefere turning on the solar panels; Derkwa WASH Committee members, (left to right) Tiru Getahun, money collector, Priest Worke Banti, supervisor, Tafere Amanu, chairperson, Gedefiya Yirga, cashier, Yalgaya Zewde, vice chair of the WASHCo, in front of the new water collection chamber in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya. (Images: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Ecosystem-based adaptation: Mpologoma, Uganda

In the Mpologoma catchment in eastern Uganda, climate-induced disasters such as landslides, mudslides, droughts and floods are common, leading to the destruction of livelihoods, collapse of infrastructure, loss of lives and loss of biodiversity. Many people cut down trees for their livelihoods, unknowingly aggravating these impacts while also affecting the water cycle.  

Two men walking past a rice garden badly eroded by flash floods, in Marikiswa, Uganda.

We raised awareness of the importance of protecting ecosystems through local radio shows and activities such as planting trees to help reduce soil erosion and defend against flooding. We supported communities to plant more than 60,000 seedlings in the Upper Mpologoma sub-catchment, collaborating with district forest officers, who trained people to care for the seedlings. 

Two men, community elders, showing a District Agriculture Officer the impact of flash floods on their farms, in Marikiswa, Uganda.

Othieno Clement Okello, 62 (pictured), has lived in Pasaya-A village since he was a boy, witnessing the weather becoming increasingly unpredictable and farming becoming more difficult. “The heavy rains have caused flash floods, destroying our crops. The runoff water is too much, creating big gullies,” he said. To protect soil and crops from being washed away, we supported Othieno’s community to plant trees, such as eucalyptus, on the boundaries of their gardens.

Main image: Othieno Clement Okello standing near some of the eucalyptus trees the community in Pasaya-A village planted. Focus images: Othieno and his brother Owori Michael Okello walking past a rice garden with soils eroded by flash floods, in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda; Othieno and Owori showing Alexandra Nyayuki Barbara, Tororo District Agriculture Officer, the impact of flash floods on their farms. (Images: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

#2 Empowering communities

For facilities to be truly sustainable, the skills and knowledge to maintain them must be held locally. To mitigate the risks to sustainability posed by climate change, we helped communities understand its impacts on their vulnerable water resources, and how to independently manage and monitor their WASH services for the long term.

An arid, red-soiled field, damaged by flash floods in Marikiswa, Uganda.

Soil erosion in farmland in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda, caused by flash floods. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Soil erosion in farmland in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda, caused by flash floods. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

A woman standing in the entrance to her office, Magada Subcounty, Uganda. Posters encouraging environmental protection are displayed on the door.

Victoria standing in the entrance to her office in Magada Subcounty, Uganda. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Victoria standing in the entrance to her office in Magada Subcounty, Uganda. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

A man crouching watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence, Budoba village, Uganda.

Samuel Higenyi Mbiro watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence in Budoba village, Uganda, to protect it from livestock damage and soil erosion. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Samuel Higenyi Mbiro watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence in Budoba village, Uganda, to protect it from livestock damage and soil erosion. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Mpologoma, Uganda

In eastern Uganda, like in many other parts of the world, people are already seeing the effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather. Heavy rains have caused flash floods that destroy crops, wash away soil, and inundate – and contaminate – boreholes. The rains are also increasingly unpredictable, which means communities can never know for certain when to plant their crops, affecting their food security.

Victoria Kaudha, 29 (pictured), is an executive member of Magada United Farmers’ Cooperative in Upper Mpologoma. During a WaterAid-run meeting about climate change and environmental protection, she realised how communities could be part of the solution.  

“From that moment, I wanted to use my influence to be a climate change agent in my community,” she said. Victoria has planted 70 mahogany and eucalyptus trees to help prevent flash floods and has featured on the radio to talk about climate change and encourage community members to care for the environment. 

Victoria also works with religious leaders to pass on climate change messages to their congregations during church services. And, after she advised her fellow farmers, the cooperative agreed to grow peanuts instead of rice because of rice’s harmful effects on the community's wetlands. 

The climate change community awareness strategy has started to yield positive results: “Many people can now relate the challenges they face – such as drying water sources, floods and strong winds – to a changing climate,” she says. “People are demanding trees for planting, and environmentally friendly options.”

We also supported the community of Budoba village to establish a water users committee. We trained nine members on how to ensure the borehole works well, and the committee created community byelaws. For example, each household must contribute 2,000 Ugandan shillings (£0.44) whenever the rehabilitated borehole needs repairs. 

“Every community member must keep their water containers clean, and make sure the area around the water source is clean,” says Samuel Higenyi Mbiro, 48 (pictured), committee secretary. “To protect our water source from livestock damage, we have planted a living fence around it and it is my duty to ensure the seedlings are watered every morning and evening. We are also teaching our children the proper way of pumping water so as not to damage the borehole.” 

An arid, red-soiled field, damaged by flash floods in Marikiswa, Uganda.

Soil erosion in farmland in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda, caused by flash floods. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Soil erosion in farmland in Marikiswa Parish, Uganda, caused by flash floods. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

A woman standing in the entrance to her office, Magada Subcounty, Uganda. Posters encouraging environmental protection are displayed on the door.

Victoria standing in the entrance to her office in Magada Subcounty, Uganda. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Victoria standing in the entrance to her office in Magada Subcounty, Uganda. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

A man crouching watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence, Budoba village, Uganda.

Samuel Higenyi Mbiro watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence in Budoba village, Uganda, to protect it from livestock damage and soil erosion. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Samuel Higenyi Mbiro watering seedlings planted around the newly rehabilitated borehole fence in Budoba village, Uganda, to protect it from livestock damage and soil erosion. (Image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba).

Mpologoma, Uganda

In eastern Uganda, like in many other parts of the world, people are already seeing the effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather. Heavy rains have caused flash floods that destroy crops, wash away soil, and inundate – and contaminate – boreholes. The rains are also increasingly unpredictable, which means communities can never know for certain when to plant their crops, affecting their food security.

Victoria Kaudha, 29 (pictured), is an executive member of Magada United Farmers’ Cooperative in Upper Mpologoma. During a WaterAid-run meeting about climate change and environmental protection, she realised how communities could be part of the solution.  

“From that moment, I wanted to use my influence to be a climate change agent in my community,” she said. Victoria has planted 70 mahogany and eucalyptus trees to help prevent flash floods and has featured on the radio to talk about climate change and encourage community members to care for the environment. 

Victoria also works with religious leaders to pass on climate change messages to their congregations during church services. And, after she advised her fellow farmers, the cooperative agreed to grow peanuts instead of rice because of rice’s harmful effects on the community's wetlands. 

The climate change community awareness strategy has started to yield positive results: “Many people can now relate the challenges they face – such as drying water sources, floods and strong winds – to a changing climate,” she says. “People are demanding trees for planting, and environmentally friendly options.”

We also supported the community of Budoba village to establish a water users committee. We trained nine members on how to ensure the borehole works well, and the committee created community byelaws. For example, each household must contribute 2,000 Ugandan shillings (£0.44) whenever the rehabilitated borehole needs repairs. 

“Every community member must keep their water containers clean, and make sure the area around the water source is clean,” says Samuel Higenyi Mbiro, 48 (pictured), committee secretary. “To protect our water source from livestock damage, we have planted a living fence around it and it is my duty to ensure the seedlings are watered every morning and evening. We are also teaching our children the proper way of pumping water so as not to damage the borehole.”

#3 Supporting local governance

Improved governance structures and policy making around the management of climate-resilient WASH services are vital to their longevity. Working closely with local governments, we raised awareness of the importance of WASH in building long-term resilience to climate change, and supported them to make these improvements. 

A man standing in the water utility store room, in Burie Zuriya town, Ethiopia.

Alemu Ademe in the water utility store, Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe in the water utility store, Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

A woman with a walking stick and her young daughter sit smiling next to a jerry can, outside their home in Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia.

Helme, 65, and her daughter Amaru, 7, collecting clean water from a tap installed right by their door, Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Helme, 65, and her daughter Amaru, 7, collecting clean water from a tap installed right by their door, Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

A man pointing to papers pinned to a notice board, showing a geographic information system his water utility developed, in Burie Zuriya town, Ethiopia.

Alemu Ademe looking at the Geographic Information System the utility developed, in Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe looking at the Geographic Information System the utility developed, in Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe (pictured) is water utility manager in Burie Zuriya in western Ethiopia. The town already suffers from a shortage of clean water, and climate change means levels are dropping even further, forcing the utility to dig deeper wells. The poorest people in the community struggle the most with access to clean water as they often cannot afford to buy water every day.

Working with WaterAid and district representatives, Alemu selected communities that would be provided with access to clean water, based on their ability to pay the monthly 20 Ethiopian Birr (£0.32) fee to maintain the service.

Now I get to walk out my door and get clean water at any time I want. I am so grateful and happy that I get to give my daughter clean drinking water.
Helme, 65, pictured with her daughter Amaru. Since a tap was installed outside their home, they no longer have to walk 2 km to collect water from a river.

Alemu also took part in a variety of training sessions provided by WaterAid and others, including in management and geographic information systems, which helps the utility identify and develop the town’s water distribution line. Staff at the utility were also trained in ways to mitigate climate challenges, which they have put into practice by planting trees, building fences around water sources to protect from flooding, and forming a committee to visit each water source every week to check water levels.  

It has been, said Alemu, the “most satisfying project” he has worked on so far.

A man standing in the water utility store room, in Burie Zuriya town, Ethiopia.

Alemu Ademe in the water utility store, Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe in the water utility store, Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

A woman with a walking stick and her young daughter sit smiling next to a jerry can, outside their home in Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia.

Helme, 65, and her daughter Amaru, 7, collecting clean water from a tap installed right by their door, Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Helme, 65, and her daughter Amaru, 7, collecting clean water from a tap installed right by their door, Burie Zuriya District, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

A man pointing to papers pinned to a notice board, showing a geographic information system his water utility developed, in Burie Zuriya town, Ethiopia.

Alemu Ademe looking at the Geographic Information System the utility developed, in Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe looking at the Geographic Information System the utility developed, in Burie Town, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Alemu Ademe (pictured) is water utility manager in Burie Zuriya in western Ethiopia. The town already suffers from a shortage of clean water, and climate change means levels are dropping even further, forcing the utility to dig deeper wells. The poorest people in the community struggle the most with access to clean water as they often cannot afford to buy water every day.

Working with WaterAid and district representatives, Alemu selected communities that would be provided with access to clean water, based on their ability to pay the monthly 20 Ethiopian Birr (£0.32) fee to maintain the service.

Now I get to walk out my door and get clean water at any time I want. I am so grateful and happy that I get to give my daughter clean drinking water.
Helme, 65, pictured with her daughter Amaru. Since a tap was installed outside their home, they no longer have to walk 2 km to collect water from a river.

Alemu also took part in a variety of training sessions provided by WaterAid and others, including in management and geographic information systems, which helps the utility identify and develop the town’s water distribution line. Staff at the utility were also trained in ways to mitigate climate challenges, which they have put into practice by planting trees, building fences around water sources to protect from flooding, and forming a committee to visit each water source every week to check water levels.  

It has been, said Alemu, the “most satisfying project” he has worked on so far.

#4 Influencing nationally

We work to put WASH at the heart of government action on adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. We advocate that governments include innovative, community-based water security approaches in national-level climate change plans and policies.   

Pakistan 

We made sure governance of groundwater – a vital resource in the face of climate change – was being discussed in Pakistan at national and provincial levels. Consulting parliamentarians and other key stakeholders, we developed an in-depth briefing paper and a bill for regulating groundwater in Islamabad Capital Territory that could, if adopted, benefit millions of people.

Following this, we held high-profile events with parliamentarians, where we discussed management of groundwater and its connections to Sustainable Development Goal 6. Key institutions including the National Assembly, the Senate and the Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources have since recognised the significance of regulating groundwater through legislation and policy. 

A man pointing to posters as he talks to a group of members of his community in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan.

Ghulam Fareed talking to other community members in Muzaffargarh District, Pakistan, about water conservation and WASH techniques. (Image: WaterAid/Saiyna Bashir).

Ghulam Fareed talking to other community members in Muzaffargarh District, Pakistan, about water conservation and WASH techniques. (Image: WaterAid/Saiyna Bashir).

Ghulam Fareed, 76 (pictured centre), lives in Nuhan Wala, a village in Muzaffargarh, Pakistan, where groundwater quantity and quality were continually reduced by the effects of climate change. As a community leader, he raises awareness among other members about water conservation and WASH techniques, conscious of the future of the community in a changing climate: “This needed to change not for us but for our future generations”.

Ethiopia 

We organised a workshop to explore how to increase financing for WASH in the context of climate change at regional and national levels in Ethiopia, bringing together government departments, including the Ethiopian Environment Protection Authority. We also organised high-level meetings to identify barriers to women’s engagement in decision-making processes, resulting in three policy briefs that we will use to influence district and national government officials.  

A woman cooking outside her home in Derekwa Village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia.

Tiru Getahun cooking at her home in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Tiru Getahun cooking at her home in Derekwa village, Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia. (Image: WaterAid/Frehiwot Gebrewold).

Consulting women on WASH decisions is vital if they are to be involved in the running of WASH services that meet their needs. Tiru Getahun, 26 (pictured), from Derekwa in Burie Zuriya, Ethiopia, is passionate about water access, and wanted to be involved in her village's water committee.

She earns a monthly wage by collecting money from people who use the waterpoint we installed as part of our expansion of water services. “There is nothing more than water. So, I believe having water is having everything,” she said. “Water is life and we are so lucky that we have access to clean water now.”

Burkina Faso 

In Burkina Faso we worked with other local partners to train 200 young people as water and climate advocates, equipping them to lobby their Government to include water security and WASH in climate plans – an issue the national Youth Parliament for Water and Sanitation identified as a priority.

Inspired by this, other WaterAid teams across the world are exploring youth activism, including in Bangladesh, Niger, Senegal and Ghana.

Four young men looking at a rain gauge during training, in Belga, Burkina Faso.

Young community members of the village of Belga, learning to read a rain gauge in Belga, Burkina Faso. Engaging with young people is important to the sustainability of programmes and the reach of campaigning. (Image: WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo).

Young community members of the village of Belga, learning to read a rain gauge in Belga, Burkina Faso. Engaging with young people is important to the sustainability of programmes and the reach of campaigning. (Image: WaterAid/Basile Ouedraogo).

#5 Influencing globally

2021 was a critical year for climate action. With the world’s most important forum on climate – COP27 – taking place in the UK, and countries developing their COVID-19 recovery plans, WASH needed to be placed high on the agenda in both discussions and decisions. Through this project, we were able to position WASH as an important climate issue within those public and policy debates.

COP26

In November 2021, the UK Government hosted the 26th UN Climate Change Conference – COP26 – in Glasgow, Scotland. Hundreds of world leaders came together to agree plans for how to tackle the climate crisis. We used COP26 to call on governments to recognise the critical role of clean water in helping communities cope with the effects of climate change and recover from extreme weather events. 

We sponsored the first-ever Water & Climate Pavilion at COP, and spoke at more than ten events, highlighting the links between climate change and the WASH crisis and reaching an audience – online and in person – of around 30,000 people. This has resulted in the host for COP27 – Egypt – confirming that water and climate adaptation will be a priority at this year’s event in November, and sets a strong precedent for action at future global climate conferences. 

A collage of artworks created as part of WaterAid's #OurClimateFight campaign for COP26, displayed at the WaterAid booth in the green zone at COP26 in Glasgow, UK.

#OurClimateFight campaign artwork displayed in the WaterAid booth at COP26 in Glasgow, UK. (Image: WaterAid/Chris Morgan).

#OurClimateFight campaign artwork displayed in the WaterAid booth at COP26 in Glasgow, UK. (Image: WaterAid/Chris Morgan).

Five WaterAid staff members and two campaigners hold campaign signs in the WaterAid booth in the green zone at COP26 in Glasgow, UK.

WaterAid staff and campaigners holding campaign signs at the WaterAid booth at COP26 in Glasgow, UK. (Image: WaterAid/Chris Morgan).

WaterAid staff and campaigners holding campaign signs at the WaterAid booth at COP26 in Glasgow, UK. (Image: WaterAid/Chris Morgan).

Changing lives in a changing climate

Through this project, we improved access to WASH services* for more than 117,000 people, boosting their ability to survive and thrive in the face of climate change. Our advocacy work to press for action on a greater scale has reached – and will reach – many, many more, within and beyond the borders of the countries where we worked directly. 

This groundbreaking investment also played a fundamental part in the development of our approach to climate change. It has enabled us to build on existing strands of work, drive new strategic projects forward and, from this, generate a wealth of knowledge. Although activities have been specific to local contexts, we have shared this learning across our global organisation and with our partners – from technical expertise on building climate-resilient WASH services, to participatory approaches for engaging communities.

The ripples will spread even wider, informing our 2022–32 global strategy, in which climate-resilient WASH is a core focus. Now, we can build on the many new programmatic and advocacy opportunities we have created across the world, and make sure everyone has the resilient WASH services they need to be prepared for the future.

*In Bangladesh and Tanzania some people we reached with water may also have been reached with sanitation and/or hygiene, and may have been counted twice in this figure.

Betty Hiire, a farmer in Bufumi village, Uganda, after receiving 400 tree seedlings to prevent soil erosion (image: WaterAid/James Kiyimba); James Mugulwa, 47, chairperson of Upper Mpologoma sub-catchment management committee, inspecting a rainwater harvesting tank in Namutumba District, Uganda (WaterAid/James Kiyimba); Shefali Rani Sardar collects water from the pond sand filter in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh (image: WaterAid/Drik/Farzana Hossen).

A woman crouching and smiling among a bunch of tree seedlings, in Bufumi village, Uganda.
A man standing next to a rainwater harvesting tank in Namutumba District, Uganda.
A woman smiling and holding a water container, in front of the pond sand filter in her community in Purbo Durgabati village, Bangladesh.


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A huge thank you to the players of People’s Postcode Lottery. With their support, we’re able to keep demanding a world where everyone, everywhere has the clean water, decent toilets and good hygiene they need, no matter what the future might bring. 

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Climate change

Read more about our work ensuring everyone, everywhere has the WASH services they need to cope with the climate crisis.

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Our Global Strategy

Explore our 2022–32 Global Strategy.