Rural Water Supply Network
Rural Water Supply Network | |
Location: | St. Gallen, Switzerland |
Type: | NGO |
Class: | Network NGO |
Key work: | research facilitation, technology development, commercial technology application, consultancy |
Website: www.rwsn.ch |
The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) functions as a global knowledge network with its secretariat hosted by a Skat Foundation, a resource centre based in Switzerland.
Assisting sector partners initiatives through knowledge sharing and dissemination is at the core of all RWSN activities. The organisation helps in cross-fertilisation of experiences and prevents "reinventing the wheel". RWSN supports the preparation of case studies, technical notes and field monitoring reports. It provides technical back-up on low cost technologies and assists in the introduction of implementation procedures.
As such, RWSN blends a strong engineering capacity with the principles of balanced institutional, financial and social development. The network is able to act as a depository of knowledge and provides support to sector partners.
RWSN concentrates on affordable, groundwater-related technologies that are easy to maintain and acts as a focal point for standardisation of low cost water supply technologies. The following four themes are known as the flagships of RWSN:
- Self Supply (SS)
- Cost-effective boreholes (CEB)
- Sustainable handpumps (SH)
- Handpump Technologies (HT)
Main activities
- Increase access to basic water and sanitation services
- Maximise the impact of investment through successful application of cost-effective technologies
- Institutionalise technology selection and standardisation in a demand responsive environment
- Address institutional aspects of co-operation between all stakeholders
- Reduce well drilling costs
- Improve sustainability of existing water supply facilities through ensured supply chains for spare parts.
- Mobilise additional resources, especially at local level.