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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Sustainable water supply in Nairobi

    Description
    Description
    This partnership between Grundfos Lifelink and Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) was launched in 2015 to provide people in Nairobi slums with a reliable access to a clean and affordable water supply. Aware of the challenges of public water utilities in developing countries, namely serving an increasing number of people migrating into cities and the need to reduce non-revenue-water, this partnership was established to test an innovative Grundfos Lifelink solution, the AQtap water dispenser.
    Expected Impact

    This partnership was established to provide incentives and empowerment to NCWSC to expand its water distribution to informal urban settlements to avoid the undesirable water cartels. The solution is the AQtap, a single product that combines three elements essential to smarter water management: smart cards to store water credits; a dispenser unit to tap water and manage credits; and a water management system where data from transactions and operations are processed and published. In 2015, four Grundfos Lifelink AQtaps were installed in existing water kiosks by NCWSC in informal settlements in Nairobi (Mathare area). The automatic water dispensers were connected to existing water supply system, including the water grid and an overhead water storage tank, thereby providing water kiosks with 24 hours water availability and automatic revenue collection.To collect water, people charge a smart card with credit bought onsite or via their mobile phones, ins ert it into the dispenser and pay for the water they need. The water management system receives and publishes all transactional and operational data from each water dispenser. Thereby the system plays a crucial role in the evaluation of impact. The system also includes an alert function, which allows NCWSC to immediately detect – and respond to – operational problems so that maintenance can be carried out in a timely manner. This helps minimize operational downtime of the water kiosk.

    Capacity

    Grundfos Lifelink and NCWSC cooperate in co-fundraising, public affairs and branding activities to support the common goal of delivering sustainable water supply to people in Nairobi slums. It is the role of Grundfos to build the capacity of NCWSC within the following main areas: energy efficiency, use of solar energy, non-revenue water reduction, efficient revenue collection by using Grundfos Lifelink technology, and extension of water service delivery to non-served areas. It is the role of NCWSC to provide testing ground for Grundfos Lifelink Water Management Systems, provide operational personnel and equip them with satellite offices, ensure water quality assurance and to facilitate community mobilization.

    Governed

    Increased incidences of drought linked to climate change is increasing water scarcity, particularly in areas that have limited and sporadic rainfall, leading to migration and increased urbanization. Increased urbanization in developing countries, in turn, puts pressure on water utilities to provide people with a reliable access to a clean and affordable water supply. In particular, water utilities in urban areas face challenges when trying to establish efficient operations and collection of revenue in informal settlement. In lieu of public water utilities, water cartels control the sale of water, resulting in high costs for the consumers and potential health risk because of uncontrolled water sources. This partnership was established to provide incentives and empowerment to NCWSC to expand its water distribution to informal urban settlements to avoid the undesirable water cartels. The solution is the AQtap, a single product that combines three elements essential to smarter water management: smart cards to store water credits; a dispenser unit to tap water and manage credits; and a water management system where data from transactions and operations are processed and published. In 2015, four Grundfos Lifelink AQtaps were installed in existing water kiosks by NCWSC in informal settlements in Nairobi (Mathare area). The automatic water dispensers were connected to existing water supply system, including the water grid and an overhead water storage tank, thereby providing water kiosks with 24 hours water availability and automatic revenue collection. To collect water, people charge a smart card with credit bought onsite or via their mobile phones, ins ert it into the dispenser and pay for the water they need. The water management system receives and publishes all transactional and operational data from each water dispenser. Thereby the system plays a crucial role in the evaluation of impact. The system also includes an alert function, which allows NCWSC to immediately detect – and respond to – operational problems so that maintenance can be carried out in a timely manner. This helps minimize operational downtime of the water kiosk.

    Evaluation
    Partners
    Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company Ltd, Grundfos Lifelink

    Goal 6

    Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

    Goal 6

    6.1

    By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all

    6.1.1

    Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services

    6.2

    By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations

    6.2.1

    Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water

    6.3

    By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally

    6.3.1

    Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated

    6.3.2

    Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality

    6.4

    By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity
    6.4.1

    Change in water-use efficiency over time

    6.4.2

    Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources

    6.5

    By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate

    6.5.1

    Degree of integrated water resources management 

    6.5.2

    Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation

    6.6

    By 2020, protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes
    6.6.1

    Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time

    6.a

    By 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries in water- and sanitation-related activities and programmes, including water harvesting, desalination, water efficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse technologies
    6.a.1

    Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan

    6.b

    Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management

    6.b.1

    Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management

    Goal 17

    Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

    Goal 17

    17.1

    Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection

    17.1.1
    Total government revenue as a proportion of GDP, by source
    17.1.2
    Proportion of domestic budget funded by domestic taxes

    17.2

    Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries

    17.2.1
    Net official development assistance, total and to least developed countries, as a proportion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee donors’ gross national income (GNI)

    17.3

    Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources

    17.3.1

    Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources 

    17.3.2
    Volume of remittances (in United States dollars) as a proportion of total GDP

    17.4

    Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress

    17.4.1
    Debt service as a proportion of exports of goods and services

    17.5

    Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries

    17.5.1

    Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries

    17.6

    Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism

    17.6.1

     Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed

    17.7

    Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed

    17.7.1

    Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies

    17.8

    Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology

    17.8.1
    Proportion of individuals using the Internet

    17.9

    Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation

    17.9.1

    Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries

    17.10

    Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda

    17.10.1
    Worldwide weighted tariff-average

    17.11

    Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020

    17.11.1

    Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports

    17.12

    Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access

    17.12.1

    Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States

    17.13

    Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence

    17.13.1
    Macroeconomic Dashboard

    17.14

    Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development

    17.14.1
    Number of countries with mechanisms in place to enhance policy coherence of sustainable development

    17.15

    Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development 

    17.15.1
    Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation

    17.16

    Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries

    17.16.1

    Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals

    17.17

    Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships 

    17.17.1

    Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure

    17.18

    By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts

    17.18.1

    Statistical capacity indicators

    17.18.2
    Number of countries that have national statistical legislation that complies with the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics
    17.18.3

    Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding

    17.19

    By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries

    17.19.1
    Dollar value of all resources made available to strengthen statistical capacity in developing countries
    17.19.2

    Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration

    Goal 13

    Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

    Goal 13

    13.1

    Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

    13.1.1

    Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

    13.1.2

    Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

    13.1.3

    Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

    13.2

    Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

    13.2.1

    Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    13.2.2

    Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

    13.3

    Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

    13.3.1

    Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

    13.a

    Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

    13.a.1

    Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

    13.b

    Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities


     

    13.b.1

    Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

    Provision of sustainable water solutions to urban poor through piloting the Lifelink solution
    Pilot spread and increased global level of interest
    Staff / Technical expertise
    Training of NCWSC in operation and maintenance of the Lifelink solutions.
    In-kind contribution
    4 AQtaps including installation and ongoing assistance on operational and maintenance issues.
    Other, please specify
    Collaboration on identification of funding opportunities for scale-up of current projects
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    False
    This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.
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    Timeline
    01 January 2015 (start date)
    01 January 2017 (date of completion)
    Entity
    Grundfos Lifelink
    SDGs
    Geographical coverage
    Nairobi
    Countries
    Kenya
    Kenya
    Contact Information

    Rasoul Mikkelsen, Director Global Partnerships