Sustainability
We keep in contact with the communities we complete projects in, checking in on them from time-to-time. The details vary from project to project, but, the monitoring plans could include talking with the community every 3 months for the first year, and every six months for the next 2 years, and then every year from there on. These check-ins will help to ensure that every aspect of every project is working as intended, and if not, HydrateLife will help with a fix or additional solutions. Of course, if anything happens in-between these check-ins, we’ll be there to support the community as fast as possible.
Besides making sure the community is staying healthy, this will also serve as a way for HydrateLife to monitor the sustainability of our projects. This information will then be used to help us improve our future projects.
We keep in contact with the communities we complete projects in, checking in on them from time-to-time. The details vary from project to project, but, the monitoring plans could include talking with the community every 3 months for the first year, and every six months for the next 2 years, and then every year from there on. These check-ins will help to ensure that every aspect of every project is working as intended, and if not, HydrateLife will help with a fix or additional solutions. Of course, if anything happens in-between these check-ins, we’ll be there to support the community as fast as possible.
Besides making sure the community is staying healthy, this will also serve as a way for HydrateLife to monitor the sustainability of our projects. This information will then be used to help us improve our future projects.
We want our projects to last for decades, and so we’ve created a sustainability plan that we follow on our projects. The first step is a unanimous agreement from every community member on the implementation of the water project. Ensuring buy-in from the entire community is critical to the sustainability of the project.
Next is the creation of a community water committee. The cornerstone of our sustainability plan is community control and operation of the system, which will be facilitated by this committee. Committee members are elected to a term by the community, and are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water system, sanitation facilities, and/or hygiene facilities. They are also responsible for accounting, billing, and payments from people in the community.
These payments will go towards a community contingency fund, which is equally important to ensuring the sustainability of the project. This fund will be used for costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the water system, sanitation facilities, and/or hygiene facilities as well as any necessary repairs. It will also be used to support the people responsible for the system with a modest wage. It will be funded by payments from the community.
In the case of a water system, each household in a community will pay for the water they use. Potentially one of the trickiest, but critical, parts of a water project is pricing water to the end-users. Payments should not be so expensive that families cannot afford it, but they need to be sufficient to cover operational and maintenance expenses, while at the same time saving for future needs. For most projects, water usage will be tracked via meters at each home. The amount paid will be decided on by the water committee. Ultimately, the aim is for the community to have enough money to replace components of the system by the time their warranties expire.
Let’s look at a solar powered water system as an example. Solar panels are generally warrantied for 25 years, with a service life of 30 years or more, so replacement prior to that is only necessary in the case of damage, which is rare. The purification components, piping, and distribution tanks will have similar, multi-decade lifespans. Therefore, long term plans and savings will be put in place to address this need in the future. Pumps and controllers have shorter usable lifespans, generally 5-10 years.
If sanitation and hygiene facilities are also part of the project, funding for costs associated with operation, maintenance, and replacement parts will be covered by an additional monthly charge.
Finally, training the water committee to operate and maintain everything is vital to its sustainability. Without knowledgeable community members to do this work these systems can’t function, and will fail. To address this, the committee will attend training sessions on operation and maintenance of the systems, including how to maintain the highest water quality possible.
Ultimately, the long term success of our projects lies in the hands of the communities, but much thought is put into setting them up for success.
We want our projects to last for decades, and so we’ve created a sustainability plan that we follow on our projects. The first step is a unanimous agreement from every community member on the implementation of the water project. Ensuring buy-in from the entire community is critical to the sustainability of the project.
Next is the creation of a community water committee. The cornerstone of our sustainability plan is community control and operation of the system, which will be facilitated by this committee. Committee members are elected to a term by the community, and are responsible for the operation and maintenance of the water system, sanitation facilities, and/or hygiene facilities. They are also responsible for accounting, billing, and payments from people in the community.
These payments will go towards a community contingency fund, which is equally important to ensuring the sustainability of the project. This fund will be used for costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the water system, sanitation facilities, and/or hygiene facilities as well as any necessary repairs. It will also be used to support the people responsible for the system with a modest wage. It will be funded by payments from the community.
In the case of a water system, each household in a community will pay for the water they use. Potentially one of the trickiest, but critical, parts of a water project is pricing water to the end-users. Payments should not be so expensive that families cannot afford it, but they need to be sufficient to cover operational and maintenance expenses, while at the same time saving for future needs. For most projects, water usage will be tracked via meters at each home. The amount paid will be decided on by the water committee. Ultimately, the aim is for the community to have enough money to replace components of the system by the time their warranties expire.
Let’s look at a solar powered water system as an example. Solar panels are generally warrantied for 25 years, with a service life of 30 years or more, so replacement prior to that is only necessary in the case of damage, which is rare. The purification components, piping, and distribution tanks will have similar, multi-decade lifespans. Therefore, long term plans and savings will be put in place to address this need in the future. Pumps and controllers have shorter usable lifespans, generally 5-10 years.
If sanitation and hygiene facilities are also part of the project, funding for costs associated with operation, maintenance, and replacement parts will be covered by an additional monthly charge.
Finally, training the water committee to operate and maintain everything is vital to its sustainability. Without knowledgeable community members to do this work these systems can’t function, and will fail. To address this, the committee will attend training sessions on operation and maintenance of the systems, including how to maintain the highest water quality possible.
Ultimately, the long term success of our projects lies in the hands of the communities, but much thought is put into setting them up for success.