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Lack of water limits household and community activities for millions of the world’s
poor.  Productive Water Points in Dryland Areas is a timely contribution to the
problems of groundwater development in many semi-arid regions, where water
and land shortages curtail the quality of life for rapidly expanding populations. 
Increasing the availability of water to communities does much more than satisfy
basic human needs.  It makes it possible to embark on many activities with
economic value, such as small-scale irrigation, fruit orchads, growing livestock
feed, dairy units, fish farming and brick-making, all of which are vital in alleviating
poverty.

Because it is difficult to extract large quantities of ground-water from the hard rock
acquifers common in dryland areas, and there is often misunderstanding about why
wells are boreholes fail, abstration is usually limited to domestic supply to conserve resources.  In Poductive Water Points in Dryland Areas, Chris Lovell demonstrates the
potential of the groundwater resource to support production, both through more
effective use of existing water points and through improved siting and selection of
more appropriate designs for new wells and boreholes.

The planning, implementation and management of productive water points are
considered in detail.  And how best to establish a working partnership with the
community is discussed as a critical issue contributing to the success of any scheme, recognizing that only negotiated approaches involving the water users themselves
will work.  The book will help in deciding the most appropriate and cost-effective
option in different areas.  Particular attention is paid to answering the questions
commonly asked about productive water points, and to the special management
issues that can arise when a water point assumes an economic value through
production.

This book is the synthesis of lessons learned in a decade developing productive
water points using both ground and surface water resources in Southern Africa. 
The findings are presented in a particular manner to encourage planners and
practitioners to integrate the approach into existing rural water supply programmes
in drought-prone areas around the world.

To order the book contact orders@itpubs.org.uk or the IES Secretariat at
fnengo@africaonline.co.zw

For more information on the Books published by the Institute contact Ms Nengomasha