Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues is a peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research papers and case studies

Throughout Africa, many hand water pumps malfunction and remain inoperable for long periods of time. Previous studies from a number of sub-Saharan countries have indicated that in some regions up to 65% of hand pumps may be broken. It is reported that robust monitoring of remote water pumps can help address some of these problems. However, traditional project monitoring strategies generally rely on physical site visits to remote locations. These visits can be time consuming and resource intensive, which in turn may delay the implementation of pump repairs. In contrast, recent years have seen the emergence of a range of new monitoring technologies that use mobile phone networks to rapidly report the operational status of water projects from remote sites. The authors describe the development of a new monitoring system, called MANTIS, which is intended for hand pumps in developing regions. The paper presents data from early field trials of MANTIS in Sierra Leone and The Gambia. The unit relays ‘near real time’ operational data from the water pump to an accessible online platform.

Across sub-Saharan Africa many communities lack reliable access to mains electricity, and therefore depend upon unconventional power sources to recharge their mobile phones. Many of these informal recharging centres are powered by a diesel generator or solar panel. Furthermore, many of these same communities are frequently served by broken water pumps. Previous reports indicate that many individuals are prepared to pay a small regular fee to recharge their mobile phone, while their local water point committee lacks sufficient funds to keep their water infrastructure maintained. This paper presents a novel funding strategy aimed at helping communities cover the maintenance costs of their local water supply. This premise was demonstrated using a pilot system in The Gambia which combined a solar-powered community water point with an off-grid smart battery rental hub for everyday electricity needs such as mobile phone charging. The paper presents preliminary field data from this site and explores the wider context surrounding the pilot system.

This paper reviews potable water issues affecting river dwelling communities and assesses the use of Rainwater Harvesting techniques to help meet potable water requirements. The study specifically explores river communities on the periphery of the city of Belem, where there is no potable mains water supply. This interdisciplinary study reviews the socioeconomic context of the different organisational stakeholders as well as analysing technical data to ascertain the effectiveness of the systems in practice. Surveys indicate nearly half of residents consume water from sources potentially contaminated by raw sewage and mining effluent with detrimental impacts to public health. This paper reviews previous local studies and describes ongoing attempts to derive locally appropriate rainwater collection and treatment processes. This includes attempts to construct and trial organic material-based rainwater filters that comprise of different mixes of sand, gravel and activated carbon derived from by-products of local fruit processing industries, namely acai harvesting.

Many people across the developing world live ‘off-grid’ in terms of access to mains electricity, and therefore depend on alternative power sources to recharge their mobile phones. These recharging facilities are typically located in shops or informal businesses, and are often powered by a diesel generator or solar panel. Many of these rural communities are also served by local water infrastructure that has fallen into a state of disrepair. It has been reported that many individuals are prepared to pay a small regular fee to recharge their mobile phone, while their wider communities may often claim to lack sufficient funds to keep their water infrastructure maintained. This article introduces a pilot study in The Gambia that combines an off-grid recharging hub with a community water point. It is proposed that a proportion of the income generated by this enterprise could be retained and used to fund the ongoing maintenance costs of the recharging hub and the local water infrastructure.