The sustainability of handpumps in Konso District, Ethiopia from a household water security perspective

The objective of this research was to assess sustainability of hand pump fitted boreholes in Konso district, Ethiopia, from a household water security perspective. A mixed methods approach was used applying purposive sampling for the selection of 10 Afridev hand pump sites constructed in 2002 and 2003. The overall sustainability score of six hand pumps was between 2 and 2.3 on a scale ranging from a score of three (3) as most favourable to a score of one (1) as the least favourable. The four non-functioning hand pumps received scores between 1.3 and 1.9. The research showed that use of alternative water sources, the number of people served by the hand pump, access to slow-wearing spare parts, insufficient support of water committees were criteria likely to determine sustainability. It is recommended to carry out further research due to the indicative nature of the findings.