This project aims to generate quantifiable water and social benefits in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), specifically in displaced and host communities in North Kivu, an area characterized by high levels of socio-environmental vulnerability and severe water stress. From an integrated perspective of water security and environmental justice, the intervention articulates a set of technical actions aimed at reducing structural access gaps (WASH BA) and mitigating health risks through the improvement of water quality (WQBA), prioritizing decentralized, resilient, and low-energy solutions adapted to the prolonged humanitarian context.
The WASH BA component is based on a quantitative baseline of effective coverage and focuses on expanding sustainable access to basic services through appropriate technologies such as rainwater harvesting, dry sanitation modules, and community hygiene stations. These systems are accompanied by community governance processes and gender-focused water committees to ensure institutional sustainability.
The WQBA component incorporates in-situ treatment techniques (filtration, chlorination, UV disinfection) along with systematic monitoring strategies of critical microbiological and physicochemical parameters (E. coli, turbidity, conductivity, residual chlorine), allowing for potable water control at each point of use.
The intervention is designed to generate verifiable additionality in terms of water replenishment, through savings, substitution, and qualitative improvement of volumes critical to health and well-being. The VWBA framework will be used to quantify volumetric benefits, in coordination with traceability platforms such as Aqua Positive, and integrating metrics compatible with international standards like Science-Based Targets for Water (SBTs), CDP Water Disclosure, and Water+ certification requirements from Act4Water.
North Kivu faces a complex and prolonged humanitarian crisis, driven by a critical combination of social, environmental, and structural factors directly affecting water security. Forced displacement due to armed conflicts has created unprecedented pressure on precarious settlements, where water and sanitation infrastructures are either collapsed or nonexistent. This scenario has led to recurring outbreaks of waterborne diseases such as cholera, hepatitis E, and typhoid fever, with incidence rates directly tied to the microbiological contamination of consumed water.
From an infrastructure standpoint, formal service coverage is below 30% in several rural communes, replaced by unsafe practices such as water collection from contaminated surface sources (rivers, ponds) or hand-dug wells without sanitary protection. Environmentally, rapid landscape degradation—mainly due to deforestation for firewood and subsistence farming—has directly impacted the hydrological cycle: reduced infiltration, increased surface runoff, and decreased soil capacity for natural filtration.
Furthermore, the unplanned growth of peri-urban and rural settlements has led to the occupation of recharge zones and strategic catchment areas without any integrated resource management. This has resulted in a critical loss of hydrological ecosystem resilience and increased direct discharge points of sewage and solid waste, worsening eutrophication and diffuse pollution processes across the watershed.
The project adopts a multi-component approach based on technical watershed analysis and standardized methodologies (WASH BA and WQBA), prioritizing decentralized solutions with rapid implementation and high efficiency in terms of public health and climate resilience.
First, community rainwater harvesting systems will be installed, consisting of roof catchments, leaf filters, sedimentation units, storage tanks with sanitary lining, and disinfection units (controlled chlorination or UV depending on energy availability). These systems ensure safe water supply in off-grid contexts.
Simultaneously, VIP latrines (Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines) will be constructed, with gender-separated compartments and adaptations for people with reduced mobility. These structures will include handwashing stations with treated water, soap, and recirculation systems. The strategy is complemented by behavior change interventions focused on critical practices such as menstrual hygiene, handwashing at key times, and protection of water sources.
A community-based water quality monitoring system will also be deployed using rapid test kits and periodic validations in mobile laboratories. All traceability will be managed through the Aqua Positive platform, with third-party validation by accredited entities under frameworks such as CDP Water and Act4Water, ensuring transparency and model replicability.
Phase I (0–3 months): This phase focuses on participatory evaluation with the target communities to identify priority needs and socially validate intervention sites. A technical health and water diagnosis is carried out using geostatistical tools and baseline data collection through structured forms. Variables measured include: access level (liters/person/day), available flow in water sources, microbiological water quality (presence of E. coli and total coliforms), sanitation coverage, and gender gaps in water use. Technical systems (collection, treatment, and disposal) are also designed based on the collected data.
Phase II (4–12 months): In this phase, the planned infrastructures are constructed. Water collection systems include roof catchments, PVC channels, leaf filters, sedimentation tanks, and elevated storage tanks with sanitary lining. Water treatment is performed using ceramic filtration impregnated with colloidal silver, and in some cases, supplemented with UV lamps powered by solar panels. The VIP latrines (Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines) are designed as enhanced basic sanitation systems using a ventilated chamber with a vertical pipe covered in mesh to allow gas escape and block insect entry. This ventilation significantly reduces odors and prevents fly-borne diseases. The latrines are built with local materials and washable floors, incorporating gender-separated compartments, universal accessibility, and easy maintenance. Quality control methods include structural checklists, hydraulic testing, free chlorine validation, and tank leak-proofing. Community participation is documented in social logbooks.
Phase III (13–24 months): Local operators are trained in system maintenance, hygiene management, and operational logging. Sanitary kits are distributed, including menstrual hygiene products, chlorine tablets, soap, and illustrated educational materials. Hygiene campaigns are conducted in schools, community radios, and public meetings. Water quality audits are integrated using random inspections, perception surveys on water quality and service use, and third-party validations aligned with WASH BA and WQBA standards. Indicators are updated and a consolidated annual impact report is generated.
Each phase incorporates specific controls: physical compliance indicators, usage indicators (liters/person/day, frequency of latrine cleaning), periodic microbiological monitoring (E. coli, turbidity, residual chlorine), and satisfaction validations (Likert scale). These data are integrated into the Aqua Positive platform with QR coding and georeferenced traceability of monitored points.
Applied Technologies or Actions
Monitoring Plan
Full Project Description
This project aims to ensure sustainable and safe access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) for displaced and host communities in the North Kivu region, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)—one of the most vulnerable regions globally in terms of water security, public health, and social stability. Using an integrated approach based on VWBA 2.0 and WASH Benefits Accounting (WASH BA) methodologies, the project not only seeks to provide essential basic services but also to generate measurable and verifiable water benefits, contributing to water replenishment and both climate and community resilience in a protracted humanitarian setting.
The intervention is structured into three sequential and complementary phases. In Phase I, a technical and participatory diagnosis is conducted, including a baseline analysis of water access (liters/person/day), microbiological quality (E. coli, total coliforms), source availability, sanitation coverage, water collection times, and gender-related disparities. This phase allows for identifying critical intervention sites and designing context-specific solutions with early community engagement.
In Phase II, appropriate and resilient technological solutions are implemented. Community rainwater harvesting systems are built, using roof collectors, sanitary PVC piping, solid filters, sedimentation tanks, and elevated, sanitary-lined reservoirs. Water treatment is performed through a combination of colloidal silver ceramic filtration and ultraviolet disinfection powered by solar energy. In parallel, VIP-type sanitation units (Ventilated Improved Pit Latrines) with dual ventilation chambers, washable floors, universal accessibility, pressurized handwashing systems, and secure menstrual hygiene areas are installed. The construction process is rigorously monitored with quality control protocols, including hydraulic testing, tank leak-proofing checks, free chlorine analysis, and structural validation.
Phase III focuses on system operation, maintenance, and long-term community ownership. Local operators are trained, gender-sensitive water committees are formed, and hygiene education campaigns based on behavioral change (nudge theory) are deployed across schools, community radio, and neighborhood assemblies. Hygiene kits (soap, chlorine tablets, menstrual hygiene materials) are distributed, and a continuous monitoring system is established using IoT sensors, geotagged water points, and regular water quality assessments (E. coli, turbidity, pH, residual chlorine). All data is integrated into the Aqua Positive platform to ensure full traceability, impact visualization, and generation of auditable reports for validation by third-party entities such as WaterAid and SCS Global.
The project directly benefits at least 10,000 people and generates measurable water benefits under the VWBA framework. While the Upper Nile basin is not yet listed among the CEO Water Mandate’s 100 priority catchments, various international organizations have identified it as a critical area due to the collapse of ecosystem services, source contamination, and the pressure of informal settlements in key water recharge zones.
The project contributes to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 13 (climate action), and SDG 1 (no poverty), promoting community-driven, low-impact, rapidly scalable solutions with clearly measurable water replenishment outcomes.
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