Water management – a topic for German-African municipal partnerships

“Water is a key natural resource, if not the most important of all for us humans. The challenge we face is making it accessible to all – under the same conditions and taking into account ecological and health aspects.” This was how Legrand Tchatchouang, Prince of Bangoua (Bangangté, Cameroon) summarised the importance of efficient and fair water management at the partnership conference. Municipalities take on key tasks in this management. In Germany, and also in many African countries, municipalities are primarily responsible for water supply and sewage disposal. The precise areas of responsibility and, above all, the challenges facing local authorities obviously vary. The conference in Giessen nevertheless examined key aspects relating to co-operative partnership in the area of water. This is rarely about water alone, however. The projects generally touch on a large number of other topics. Here are three examples from the partnerships.

The topic of water management is often closely associated with the topic of energy – including in partnership projects. The operation of small water pumps in rural areas requires energy. Large technical facilities such as sewage treatment plants are energy-intensive and therefore expensive infrastructure for a municipality. For this reason, renewable energy sources are generally also considered in the projects.

One example of this is the project between Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality in South Africa and the City of Oldenburg. The details of this project were presented at the partnership conference in the workshop “Water connects – shaping local partnerships together”. Together, the partners have developed a solution to the regular power outages at the Buffalo City sewage treatment plant. Previously, the sewage treatment works were regularly disconnected from the local power supply during load shedding periods to protect the unstable power grid in the event of an overload. As a result, wastewater had to be channelled in an untreated state into the natural environment causing considerable environmental pollution and endangering the population.

By installing solar panels on the roof of the sewage treatment plant, the partners have ensured a reliable power supply. They are now also working on making the plant more energy-efficient to save further costs and reduce CO2 . In terms of specifics, a feasibility study is being used to determine how energy can be generated from sewage sludge.

The project is an example of how cooperation between municipalities may involve intensive exchange at a technical level. The water companies involved in Oldenburg and Buffalo City are implementing energy analyses and working together with the Jade University of Applied Sciences Oldenburg on various technical specifics. To optimise collaboration across the distance involved, a virtual 3D model of the plant in Buffalo City was created to simulate plant operations there. An exchange and on-the-job training programme for employees at both sewage treatment plants was also implemented.

There are a number of key elements to the partnership between Buffalo City and Oldenburg and it utilises a range of cooperation formats and funding instruments.

The joint sewage treatment plant project is implemented primarily in the form of an operator partnership. This is supported by the Oldenburg and East Friesan Water Association (OOWV) and the Wupper Association. The partner on the South African side is the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM).

The municipalities themselves are linked via a municipal climate partnership. Within this framework, the topics of drinking water, water quality, digitalisation and environmental education are also addressed.

A predecessor project involving educational measures for protecting drinking water resources in the province of East London (educational water trail) was funded by the Partnership Projects for Sustainable Local Development programme from the Service Agency Communities in One World.

The topics of water and education are also closely aligned in many partnership projects. The above educational water trail in the municipality of Buffalo City and similar educational measures focus on informing the population about various aspects of the water cycle (groundwater, drinking water, wastewater) and on the importance of water for people (hygiene and health). They are often implemented to accompany water infrastructure measures or are directly linked with them.

The partnership between Gersthofen and Baringo County in Kenya is an example of how water and education are combined in a different way. In a joint project, the partners implemented a well project from April to December 2023 in a school for children with disabilities. Whereas previously the school had to buy the water it needed at great expense, a solar-powered well drilled to a sufficient depth on the school grounds now provides access to clean groundwater and drinking water. What is special about this is that the school also sells the now abundantly available water to the neighbouring population via a water kiosk. This guarantees the drinking water supply for the approx. 7,000 inhabitants of the village of Tenges (Kabarnet). The transaction is processed using a digital payment system via a smartphone. In turn, the income ensures the upkeep of the school. A productive school garden has been created and small livestock can be kept, which improves the quality of school meals.

Well projects like these linked to (primary) schools in rural areas are often successful projects – in terms of improving the current drinking water supply – and have important side benefits for the population. They enable a clean and healthy learning environment, thus improving learning performance and educational opportunities. They also contribute to food security and the general health of children and young people. In terms of the social effects, girls and women benefit in particular as, in a rural context, they are usually responsible for fetching water. Faster and safer access to water frees them up for education and employment. In the case of the Gersthofen and Baringo County project, the aspect of improved inclusion could also be considered. The water kiosk has meant that the special needs school for children with disabilities is now a central and valued point of contact in the municipality.

Kenya is one of the countries which tends to have to combat water shortages. The stakeholders from Baringo confirm that only 48 percent of their area has a supply of drinking water. Only 26 percent of this is considered to be clean drinking water.

The well project is also a good example of the close cooperation between municipalities and civil society. The municipal partnership complements and provides a framework for the long-standing commitment of the ProKapsogo association. The association has already implemented numerous projects to support the Baringo County region, including the redevelopment of the “Kabernet School for Learners who are Deafblind”. The cooperation at an administrative level between the municipality of Gersthofen and Baringo County has now also improved the school's water supply and, above all, brought the links between the German and Kenyan stakeholders to a new level. The well project was funded by the Small Projects Fund of the Service Agency Communities in One World.

Gersthofen and Baringo County have been linked via a declaration of friendship since 2018. In 2019, they took part in the seventh phase of the municipal climate partnerships and developed a joint programme of action. The next step will involve the partners focussing on a nearby dam. Initial considerations are under way.

And finally, successful water management may involve issues of citizen-oriented administration, participation and trust in democratic structures. This was also evident from discussions during the partnership conference.

One example of this is the partnership between the municipality of Bangangté in Cameroon and the district of Berlin Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Together, the partners have initiated the construction of a water supply main bringing water from remote water points to homes in the municipality of Bangangté.

The challenge in terms of the technical implementation itself was easily manageable and – in the assessment of those involved – probably would not have needed the partnership at all. Now, however, awareness needs to be raised within the municipality of the fact that the costs of the maintenance and servicing of the infrastructure created need to be passed on to the population in the form of water charges. This is not just about making consumers aware of the value of water, a commodity which, while previously freely available, was difficult to access. This would link into the topic of education. It is also about communicating in a credible way that the local administration will use the charges imposed responsibly. Ultimately, therefore, the population's trust in the local government must be strengthened. To support this awareness-raising process, the partners from Berlin and Bangangté are focusing on dialogue and communication and have also specifically involved key individuals from the local chieftaincy structures.

Besides these topics, the partnerships between municipalities from Germany and Sub-Saharan Africa are also working on a large number of other aspects relating to water management. These concern flood protection, water quality, retention systems and water storage, rainwater harvesting and many more.

In many cases, the municipalities are jointly implementing micro-projects focussed on improving the current water supply situation and thus tangibly improving people's quality of life. In Giessen, however, the question of how municipal partnerships might increasingly contribute to sustainable and more comprehensive solutions for local water issues was also discussed. This may mean scaling up micro-projects, supporting cooperative solutions for local water management and also supporting ownership of the infrastructure created, to improve and support all aspects of water management.

The conference emphasised that local municipalities cannot exist and act in isolation. They are embedded in regional or national structures and bound by laws and regulations. It is therefore important to have reliable initial analyses that take into account not only the ecological but also the political circumstances. Social structures in the municipality as well as cultural factors must also be considered. This is where municipal partnerships sometimes reach their limits, especially when supra-regional or national authorities need to be involved.

The participants at the partnership conference were agreed on one thing. The external view and the strategic thinking about the overall situation, which partners offer each other, is always supportive. This applies equally to African and German municipalities.