Introducing the SWIFT Tool for Environmental Assessment and Risk Screening for Rural Water Supply

Achieving long-term increases in rural water-supply coverage depends on many factors. A new tool developed for the SWIFT Consortium supports environmental assessment and risk screening activities for rural water supplies in low-income contexts. When conducting a detailed hydrogeological survey is not an option, the SWIFT tool provides simple guidance to help identify and mitigate environmental risks to long-term water availability and quality.

The SWIFT Consortium aims to deliver sustainable access to safe water and sanitation and encourage the adoption of basic hygiene practices in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Kenya. Led by Oxfam, the consortium includes Tearfund and ODI as Global Members, and Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) as Global Associate, along with many implementing partners in the two focus countries. The SWIFT programme is carried out in collaboration with the governments of DRC and Kenya, and with a number of water service providers. The SWIFT programme’s objective is to provide Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services (at least two of the three) to nearly 850,000 people by December 2015, and build capacity until March 2018 to ensure interventions are sustainable, helping to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development programmes. The SWIFT Consortium is funded with UK aid from the British people under a ‘Payment by Results’ contract. Instead of a grant, payment is tied to outputs and outcomes: non-delivery will result in non-payment, and non-sustainability will result in reduced payment.