plan 534Optimizing water treatment and quality control at 1001 fontaines sites in Cambodia

Summary

This project aims at improving the quality of the water produced by the 1001 fontaines sites. The focus will be put on two specific issues: adjusting the water treatment to each type of water source and improving the quality of water storage.

Background

> Focusing on water quality
Increasing access to “improved water sources” such as stated by the Millennium Goals does not guarantee that the populations are actually benefitting from a high quality of water. In developing countries especially, water quality can be affected by a wide range of processes, being natural or the result of human activity leading to physical or chemical contamination (human waste, agriculture, industry).
Water can be unsafe for human consumption if its quality is hampered due to lack of proper treatment, recontamination during transport or storage. However, it can also be “considered” unsafe by non-harmful qualities such as taste or odor leading to poor perception by users (UNICEF, Report on Water Quality Assessment & Monitoring, 2010).
Improving access to high quality of drinking water and its desirability in developing countries is therefore a particular challenge.
> The processes and technology used by 1001 fontaines
1001 fontaines uses a simple and low cost technology to produce safe water: Surface water is pumped from rivers or ponds. Small quantities of aluminium sulphate are added to the water to accelerate the settling of the suspended matter (flocculation). The water then goes through an activated carbon filter, a sand filter and finally an array of smaller filters (from 60 to 1 micron) to eliminate the remaining impurities. The water is then sent though the ultraviolet sterilization chamber. As the water flows at a constant flow through the system, the ultraviolet rays disinfect the water by killing the remaining microorganisms. The whole treatment unit (water pump and UV system) is powered by solar energy.

The water is then bottled in 20-litre containers, which are disinfected with small quantities of chlorine, filled and sealed. These bottles are delivered directly to the clients’ home, ensuring water quality at the point of consumption.

> Water quality management and monitoring at 1001 fontaines
To quote Louis Pasteur, “We drink 90% of our diseases”. 1001 fontaines focuses on improving the health of rural populations so that guaranteeing access to high quality water is a continuous preoccupation for the 1001 fontaines teams in the field.
The first project aiming at monitoring and improving the quality of water produced by 1001 fontaines stations was launched in 2008, with the support of Merieux foundation and Cergy Pontoise University.
This project led to:
• The creation of a 1001 fontaines water analysis laboratory in Battambang.
Before the implementation of this laboratory, the NGO used to send samples of the water produced to the Pasteur Institute in Phnom Penh every 3 months. Having its own structure facilitates the number of tests which can be done, ensuring closer monitoring of the water quality.
This laboratory uses standard methods to detect the presence of indicators of fecal contamination: counts of E.Coli and CT, measure a few chemical elements and physical parameters.

• The set up of a process to control the quality of the water on site for the operator
A process was set up to enable each operator and assistant to control the quality of the water directly on site through a presence-absence test, increasing the frequency of water quality control.
The “Presence ‐ Absence” (P‐A) test is a rapid detection test which can be used on site at room temperature without specific equipment.

• The set up of a quality management system for the “animators” (facilitators)
A specific process was set up to help the animators from the local NGO regularly control the quality of the water through a series of tests, ensuring a second and independent level of control.
The animators run these tests regularly at the NGO’s laboratory, inform the operators of the results and if necessary help him/her adjust the treatment process.
Ensuring the quality of the water is an on-going process and can always be improved which is why we wish to launch a new project aiming at improving the quality of the water produced. This project will focus on:
• Understanding the origin of taste and odor in different water sources
• Improving pre-treatment of surface and underground water to improve taste
• Upgrading the process and products to guarantee the quality of the storage of the water

We would be delighted to receive financial support from the BPN on this project as well as benefit from the PWX members expertise on water treatment to help us improve our model.

Location

Battambang, Battambang, Cambodia

Attachments

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  • 2 participants | show more

    Why this model and how will results be used

    Jenna Saldaña of El Porvenir

    Hello, I'm curious as to why you all chose this model to begin with and not a distribution system that takes water to the homes or close to homes? What is the overall need for clean water in Cambodia? Is anything being done to create infrastructure to meet all of their water needs (cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc)? How will the resul...

    Hello,
    I'm curious as to why you all chose this model to begin with and not a distribution system that takes water to the homes or close to homes? What is the overall need for clean water in Cambodia? Is anything being done to create infrastructure to meet all of their water needs (cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc)?

    How will the results be distributed to all the stations and how will the results of the study factor into future trainings for people who run the stations?

    thank you,
    Jenna

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hi Jenna, Thank you for your additional questions. According to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) of Cambodia, access to improved water in rural areas was only 53 per cent (in dry season) and to improved sanitation, only 24 per cent in 2010 (DHS, 2010). The related strategic objective of the MRD is that by by 2025, 100% of th...

      Hi Jenna,

      Thank you for your additional questions.

      According to the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) of Cambodia, access to improved water in rural areas was only 53 per cent (in dry season) and to improved sanitation, only 24 per cent in 2010 (DHS, 2010). The related strategic objective of the MRD is that by by 2025, 100% of the rural population have sustainable access to improved water supply.

      We agree that in an ideal situation, every Cambodian household would be equipped with a piped water system and get 20L of safe water every day. Actually some other NGOs implement small piped water systems in rural towns of Cambodia. Not to mention water quality issues due to the reluctance of people to consume chlorinated water, our approach is based on the fact that the majority of rural settlements are too dispersed to benefit from the installation of a piped system in the near future. Our solution fill in this important gap. We also think that solutions can be combined, by reserving bottled water for drinking purpose while piped water can provide higher quantities for other domestic usages. We are discussing this option with other organizations specialized in bigger infrastructures, as we believe the best way to proceed would be to collaborate with others rather that developing additional expertise within 1001fontaines.

      About the dissemination of the results of the present project, the main recipients will be the local staffs in charge of project implementation. The objective is to provide them with a methodology to rapidly identify water quality issues (in particular odor and taste issues) in order to provide a rapid and targeted response to the different situations. The project team will also transfer knowledge to the operators of water stations, as water quality is one of the main issues addressed during training workshops and on-site “coaching” sessions.
      This project is definitely about developing substantive work on water quality, which will inform the whole 1001 fontaines initiative in Cambodia as well as other intervention countries.

      Best regards,
      Helene

  • 2 participants | show more

    Extent of problem & Community Education

    Carys Everett of East Meets West Foundation

    Hello, This is an interesting application and there have been some great questions already, I have a couple of questions myself. 1. Do you know whether there has been any research to define the extent of the problem regarding taste and odour complaints, i.e. how many people are drinking unsafe water because they are unhappy with tas...

    Hello,

    This is an interesting application and there have been some great questions already, I have a couple of questions myself.

    1. Do you know whether there has been any research to define the extent of the problem regarding taste and odour complaints, i.e. how many people are drinking unsafe water because they are unhappy with taste or odour of bottled water?

    2. In developed countries there are also differences in taste and odour of potable water, and many people prefer the taste of water that they are accustomed to, however people are educated that potable water is still safe to drink, regardless of the taste. Will 1001 fontaines also be conducting educational activities to inform communities that the bottled water is safer than untreated water?

    Thanks, Carys

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hello Carys, 1. Well, the main source of information is the level of water sales for each station, month after month. When there is an unexpected decline in sales, clients are interviewed by operators or community facilitators from the project team as to why they buy less water, and the complaints are recorded. The reasons for changes i...

      Hello Carys,

      1. Well, the main source of information is the level of water sales for each station, month after month. When there is an unexpected decline in sales, clients are interviewed by operators or community facilitators from the project team as to why they buy less water, and the complaints are recorded. The reasons for changes in water odor and taste are various – ranging from raw water hardness and the presence of vegetation to a change in season – and our responsibility is to 1/ explain these reasons to our beneficiaries and 2/ do our best to address this issue in terms of water treatment.

      2. Indeed, we must take into account an important process of adaptation and education of populations to a different product and different habits. We include messages on water quality in our information sessions among villagers – e.g. water that looks clean may actually not be safe for consumption, and water that has a particular taste may actually be totally safe. We also organize visits to the stations so villagers can see how water is purified and it goes from the pond to the sealed bottle. This activity has proven very successful in convincing people.
      The present project consists in addressing significant water odor and taste issues, but in the case of tiny variations in odor and/or taste, information and education are obviously the best options.

      Thank you,

      Helene

  • 2 participants | show more

    monitoring and solar energy during cloudy days

    Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

    Thank you Helene for your response on my earlier questions. Here is a couple more: 1. How does 1001 fontaines monitor the efficient use of water at each site other than measuring the different parameters for safe water quality? According to the report 150000 population is served with safe water, is there any schedule for inspection of eac...

    Thank you Helene for your response on my earlier questions. Here is a couple more:
    1. How does 1001 fontaines monitor the efficient use of water at each site other than measuring the different parameters for safe water quality? According to the report 150000 population is served with safe water, is there any schedule for inspection of each project set up by the implementer? If not, PWX would be the best solution to track the projects.

    2. I don't know much about Cambodia's rainy weather. Hope it is not like West Bengal in India where during monsoon there may be 4-5 days of rain and cloudy weather that affects solar powered water heating system. In the region where you have set up the solar powered system during the wet season from June to November do they have several cloudy days? If so, is there any alternate power to keep the system running?
    Thank you
    Meera

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hi Meera, Thank you for your questions. 1. Every water station receives regular follow-up visit from our local team, at least once a month when there is no specific problem, and every time an operator is facing a problem he/she cannot fix by himself/herself. During monthly visits, in addition to technical assistance, the local project ...

      Hi Meera,
      Thank you for your questions.

      1. Every water station receives regular follow-up visit from our local team, at least once a month when there is no specific problem, and every time an operator is facing a problem he/she cannot fix by himself/herself. During monthly visits, in addition to technical assistance, the local project team collect water sample for quality testing as well as key data about business management (water sales volumes, expenses, number of clients, etc.). This information is then used to adapt training sessions to the various needs of the operators.

      2. You are right, the weather in Cambodia can be very cloudy sometimes, but it never caused problems for the operation of the water stations. I guess there is always sufficient light to keep solar panels functioning, even during the rainy season. However, each panel is connected to a battery so there is always an energy reserve in case of problem.

      Cheers

      Helene

  • 3 participants | show more

    Developing confidence in improved water quality

    Roger Kallock of Team Blue

    The detailed project description and accompanying dialog indicates that 300,000 people, some for over five years. have lacked confidence in their water due to contamination, taste, order, etc. While the proposed solution may address the technical aspects of improving both water quality and water storage, where is the plan for communication...

    The detailed project description and accompanying dialog indicates that 300,000 people, some for over five years. have lacked confidence in their water due to contamination, taste, order, etc. While the proposed solution may address the technical aspects of improving both water quality and water storage, where is the plan for communications of the results to this large number of people? Who is responsible and what portion of the project costs will go to the communications program needed to improve "drinker confidence" that their water source has dramatically improved?

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hello Roger, 300,000 is the number of people we expect to benefit from this project. It corresponds to the customers of existing water stations (around 150,000) as well as the future customers of water stations to be set up in the coming years (also 150,000). Since the project is about improving the characteristics of the water produced...

      Hello Roger,

      300,000 is the number of people we expect to benefit from this project. It corresponds to the customers of existing water stations (around 150,000) as well as the future customers of water stations to be set up in the coming years (also 150,000). Since the project is about improving the characteristics of the water produced in our stations and delivered to beneficiaries, we consider they will all benefit from these improvements.

      As you pointed out, the local project team has gathered testimonies from a number of clients revealing water taste and odor issues in certain stations as a barrier to service adoption by villagers. This issue has also been raised by the project technicians and even if it concerns only a limited number of stations today, others can be concerned later.
      Improving the organoleptic properties of water is an ongoing process, as the causes change over time. We have been working on it since the beginning of our activities in Cambodia, on a case by case basis, and we observed that improving water parameters impacts service uptake as villagers are informed about the improvements and can notice it for themselves.

      The idea is now to develop a more systematic approach so the local team can adjust their interventions to any problem in an effective way. This is particularly important as the number of stations is increasing. You are right to underline that communication is needed to inform the clients of the stations. We plan to include it in our regular communication activities (group meetings in villages). As regards future stations, beneficiaries won’t have been exposed to past odor and taste issues as the project will be new for them. So we expect to reach more customers more rapidly!

      Thanks and regards
      Helene

    • Rajesh Shah of Peer Water Exchange

      As long as we do not double-count the 150k getting water from existing stations, this is fine.

      As long as we do not double-count the 150k getting water from existing stations, this is fine.

  • 3 participants | show more

    Why the need for research when safe water is already serving 150,000 Cambodians?

    Meera Hira-Smith of Project Well

    Hi, Thank you for answering the valid questions above. I am confused. 1001 fontaines says "As of June 2013, the project enables 150 000 people in Cambodia to drink safe water every day" why is it necessary to do more research on providing safe water to additional 150000 population? Is it not possible to produce safe water by the same sys...

    Hi,
    Thank you for answering the valid questions above. I am confused. 1001 fontaines says "As of June 2013, the project enables 150 000 people in Cambodia to drink safe water every day" why is it necessary to do more research on providing safe water to additional 150000 population? Is it not possible to produce safe water by the same system in the new target area? I will ask other questions based on your response to this question.
    Thank you
    Meera Hira-Smith

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hi Meera, You are right, we will of course deploy our existing system to other areas in order to reach more beneficiaries (150 000 and more). The water produced by the stations is totally safe in terms of health so we have no plan to change the system in itself. The project we present here for peer review is about improving some aspects ...

      Hi Meera,
      You are right, we will of course deploy our existing system to other areas in order to reach more beneficiaries (150 000 and more). The water produced by the stations is totally safe in terms of health so we have no plan to change the system in itself.
      The project we present here for peer review is about improving some aspects of the said system, in order to address (among others) "odor and taste" issues we have been facing in some stations. This project will thus benefit both existing and future stations.

      This question may not appear very important, but it actually is as it is a condition to service uptake among target populations. We are determined, on the same way as we would do for wealthier customers, to provide communities with the best product and service they can expect.

      the project also includes a component on improving the process to ensure the quality of water during storage in the homes of beneficiaries (in terms of effectiveness and cost-efficiency), as re-contamination is often critical in many safe water projects.

      best regards,
      Helene

    • Rajesh Shah of Peer Water Exchange

      Bon Jour! Thank you for your thorough and very professional proposal. I have not read and digested all the 38 pages of attachments, but have gone thru them. I think your case would be much stronger if you use an existing lab to test a few samples across your projects and provide some analysis (which would be part of a baseline): curr...

      Bon Jour!

      Thank you for your thorough and very professional proposal. I have not read and digested all the 38 pages of attachments, but have gone thru them.

      I think your case would be much stronger if you use an existing lab to test a few samples across your projects and provide some analysis (which would be part of a baseline): current TDS levels, taste, odour, etc.

      What i am struggling with is an extension to what Meera pointed out. Should we use our limited resources to reach impacted people faster (and hopefully greater numbers) than to improve the situation for those already getting safe water?

      Some of your improvements do not need research, i believe, before rolling out in your future projects. Others do require research, but that is where we might have to make a choice. The opinions of all the peers here are important.

      Regards,
      Rajesh

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Bonjour Rajesh, Actually, we do use our 2 existing labs to do the water testing and analysis. Water from every station is analysed every month in these labs; this provides a baseline for our R&D work. We also use external laboratories at the Institut Pasteur of at the Cambodian Ministry of Mine and Energy to perform comprehensive testin...

      Bonjour Rajesh,

      Actually, we do use our 2 existing labs to do the water testing and analysis. Water from every station is analysed every month in these labs; this provides a baseline for our R&D work. We also use external laboratories at the Institut Pasteur of at the Cambodian Ministry of Mine and Energy to perform comprehensive testings twice a year.

      Regarding your second remark, I understand the sort of "dilemma" you describe, but actually we believe there is no real trade-off to be done here. The problem is not about choosing between more beneficiaries or improving the situation of current beneficiaries, since the results of our researches will be used in all future internvention areas, and hopefully it will allow us to reach more people, faster and in a more stable way. We also hope these results will be useful for other NGOs and project implementers in Cambodia and elsewhere.

      The question is rather what do we do to ensure that the service we provide, and to which communities allocate a budget that is not a small sum given their income situation, is of standard quality, the quality of which people have a legitimate expectation.

      Finally, rather than continuing to respond to water quality issues on a case by case basis (which in the ends has a higher cost), we decided it would be wise to address it in a coherent and efficient way. We think it is also a good way to ensure that our work is used by others.

      Best regards,
      Helene

  • 3 participants | show more

    Filtration and costing

    Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World

    Hello, this is another interesting proposal. Some of my questions relate to the filtration process and the costing for this project. 1. If the bottles are clean, why the need to chlorinate the bottles/water? The water coming out of the ultra violet light purifier is dirt, bacteria and chemical free- because of this, why the need to chl...

    Hello, this is another interesting proposal. Some of my questions relate to the filtration process and the costing for this project.

    1. If the bottles are clean, why the need to chlorinate the bottles/water? The water coming out of the ultra violet light purifier is dirt, bacteria and chemical free- because of this, why the need to chlorinate the water after it is in the bottles?
    2. Are the filter operators from your organization or are they trained members of the community?
    3.How much do the beneficiaries pay for a bottle of water? Do these costs cover maintenance costs?
    4. This seems expensive for just research- are there other ways to conduct this without such high costs?

    Thanks!
    Jamin

    • Jenna Saldaña of El Porvenir

      I have a similar question to Jamin: It sounds like you have already identified the reasons for the odor and taste (high levels of minerals like calcium and iron) as well as how to reduce the concentration (aeration). If so, why is the cost so high for research? What do the 2 months of academic research and 4-7 months of onsite work enta...

      I have a similar question to Jamin:
      It sounds like you have already identified the reasons for the odor and taste (high levels of minerals like calcium and iron) as well as how to reduce the concentration (aeration). If so, why is the cost so high for research? What do the 2 months of academic research and 4-7 months of onsite work entail?

      I look forward to your answers,
      Jenna

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Dear Jamin and Jenna, Thank you for your remarks and questions. I’ll try to answer in a comprehensive way. 1. We use chlorine only to disinfect bottles before rinsing it and filling it with purified water. Indeed our bottles are reused, meaning that when delivering bottles of clean water, the operator gets the empty ones, washes it a...

      Dear Jamin and Jenna,

      Thank you for your remarks and questions. I’ll try to answer in a comprehensive way.

      1. We use chlorine only to disinfect bottles before rinsing it and filling it with purified water. Indeed our bottles are reused, meaning that when delivering bottles of clean water, the operator gets the empty ones, washes it and to re-fills it; it’a an ongoing cycle. In no case water is chlorinated, as the communities we serve in Cambodia don’t care for chlorine taste, which is a constraint we had to consider in the first place.
      2. All operators are local villagers who are recruited and trained by our local partner team to run a safe drinking water production and distribution activity. In the present proposal, operators of a limited number of existing water stations will be actively involved in the project, since one of the objectives of this R&D project is to improve water treatment processes in order to better suit local operators constraints, needs and competences in the long run. The outcomes of this project will then benefit all the operators exploiting a water station under the 1001 fontaines initiative.
      3. The cost of a 20-litres bottle of purified water is between 1,000 and 1,200 riels in Cambodia, i.e. around USD 0.20, or USD 0.01 per litre. This cost is affordable for local people and enable the operators to cover for maintenance costs as well as get a stable revenue.

      4. (also answers Jenna’s questions) One of the main components of our project on optimizing water treatment and quality control is about the odor and taste of water, which is one of the most complicated parameters to be regulated and monitored. A number of scientific studies have been conducted on these issues by different organizations, which gives us an idea of the reasons associated to odor and taste But we need to refine this analysis within the context of our stations and most importantly our aim is to establish a protocol to identify the different causes of different situations, understandable et usable for local technicians from an operational perspective.

      The cost of the project includes different experiments conducted under real conditions, i.e. with at least 6 months of implementation in the field in order to test the results of various protocols. Field testing will be preceded by laboratory studies. For example, identifying a good chlorine product for bottle disinfection – with good disinfectant properties but acceptable odor and taste, at a reasonable cost – is one of the items on the list. After doing a review of existing documents on the corresponding products and also comparing suppliers available locally, selected products will be first tested in our laboratory, and then only the most convincing will be tested on site. This field experiment takes several months, as the objective is to observe the outcomes in terms of water quality but also as regards the conditions of use over time. Hence project costs mainly include human resource, as the whole project will be implemented by local technical staffs, in our laboratory and in the 5 stations selected as pilot sites.

      For sure we could decide to use technologies such as reverse osmosis, which are typically used for larger infrastructures. In that case, we would not have to conduct a specific study ( so we would not engage the costs of the present proposal) but, in return, the investment cost of installing reverse osmosis in all our water stations would be way too high. On the contrary, we try to keep our project costs as low as possible while ensuring a very good quality in our water treatment and quality control processes. This is the reason why we decided to invest in a comprehensive research & development project, with a view to identify practices that fits to the local context of our projects in Cambodia, as well as in Madagascar. We hope the results of this work will also be useful to other organizations involved in safe water production.

      Best regards
      Helene

    • Carolyn Meub of Pure Water for the World

      Hello Helene, Thank you for your response. I do have two additional questions: 1. What is the total dissolved solids content of the water? 2. How many liters per day are you distributing? Thanks! Jamin

      Hello Helene,

      Thank you for your response. I do have two additional questions:

      1. What is the total dissolved solids content of the water?
      2. How many liters per day are you distributing?

      Thanks!
      Jamin

    • Hélène Lefebvre of 1001 fontaines

      Hi Jamin, 1. I don't have that information as it varies quite a lot from one source to another. I guess your question is about the type of water we treat. I can tell you we often face high turbidity when using surface water, which is why the pre-treatment phase plays a great role prior to the purification itself. Let me know if you have...

      Hi Jamin,

      1. I don't have that information as it varies quite a lot from one source to another. I guess your question is about the type of water we treat. I can tell you we often face high turbidity when using surface water, which is why the pre-treatment phase plays a great role prior to the purification itself. Let me know if you have additional concerns on this topic.

      2. The production capacity of the system is 600L/hour. A water station typically produces and distributes an average 1,200 liters per day after 12 months of activity (this corresponds to the break even point). The objective is to double this figure after 3 years by increasing the customer base.

      best,
      Helene