Small Community Water Supplies book: “…both a technology reference and decision-making tool”

“This is an impressive book mainly for its scope, but also for the comparison tables and detailed technical information that is contained in nearly every chapter. The introductory chapters set the context for the technologies that are detailed in the following portion of the book. Because of its scope and depth, the book could serve as both a technology reference and decision-making tool. Engineers will be most comfortable with the content and structure of the chapters, but non-engineer practitioners will also find the chapters to be accessible and useful for learning about potential options,” write Meena Palaniappan, Micah Lang, and Peter H. Gleick of the USA-based Pacific Institute in their Review of Decision-Making Support Tools in the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Sector, Spring 2008. Go to PDF.

In 1981, the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre published the first version of Small Community Water Supplies, Smet, Jo and Christine van Wijk (eds); IRC 2002, which became one of their bestselling books because it was one of the few resources “to link water supply science and technology with the specific needs of small communities in developing countries.” The 2002 edition is an updated version of the original. “While the book was primarily written for an engineering readership, it is intended to also appeal to the wider group of stakeholders now involved in planning, designing and implementing programmes to bring improved water supplies to literally billions of people…. The latest water supply technology is the foundation for the book, but design and technology are continuously addressed in the context of the social and institutional support structures needed to bring sustainable water supply improvements.”

Peer review on 20 elements

In their peer review the authors analyzed their selected resources on 20 elements divided over four categories: sector, local topics, other.

Small Community Water Supplies scores 13 of these elements in bullets:

Sector

• Water supply
• Drinking water treatment

- Sanitation

- Wastewater treatment

- Hygiene

Local

- Regional specificity

- Urban

• Peri-urban
• Rural

Topics

• Comparison of pros and cons of technologies
• Construction
• Operation and maintenance
• Community involvement - While not the focus of any chapter, community involvement is addressed in several different chapters, including “Planning and Management,” and “Integrated Water Resources Management.”
• Institutional aspects - This is not the focus of any chapter, but it is addressed in several different chapters, including “Planning and Management” and “Integrated Water Resources Management.”

- Cost of technologies - A few cost figures are provided, but for the most part cost is not discussed.

• Financing—access to capital - Some chapters contain financing information as it pertains to specific technologies. It is also mentioned in the context of Planning and Management.

- Evaluation and monitoring

- Scalability and replicability

- Case studies

Other

User interface