Millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa rely on hand-pumped boreholes (HPBs) for their water supply, but they are often unreliable, with frequent breakdowns and long repair times. Although there have been previous attempts to understand the difficulty of access to water in rural areas and the functionality of rural water supply systems, they have typically taken ‘siloed’ approaches and focused only on the technical or social factors that influence the supplies’ performance.

A and local researchers in both Africa and the UK, shows that the failure of HPBs is not simply due to a single issue, such as a lack of water or a technical failure: it is the result of a combination of complex social, technical and physical interactions. The study provides crucial information for decision makers across governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and communities aiming to make rural water access more reliable.

The research found that the probability of any failure occurring is dominated by physical and engineering factors: a combination of water levels, the condition of the pump, aquifer yields, and borehole construction and configuration. The length of time the pump was out of action was dominated by social factors including demand, access to spare parts and financing. The project team, led by BGS, tested current HPBs and facilitated interviews and participatory mapping events with water users and managers across Ethiopia, Malawi and Uganda. Combining statistical patterns of HPB failure with lived community experiences led to a new conceptual model that represents the diversity of real-world water-management arrangements.

This paper invites those working in rural water supply in sub-Saharan Africa to consider infrastructure performance through an interdisciplinary lens. These complex interactions can be understood by using frameworks like the one proposed in this study to improve rural water supply performance, which is especially important as rural water systems evolve towards more complex solar and piped technologies.

It hoped that understanding these complex interactions around rural water supplies will help governments, NGOs and communities make rural water access more reliable and fairer for all.

Dr Donald John MacAllister, BGS Senior Hydrogeologist the paper lead author

This research provides valuable insights into the interconnected drivers of water service downtime. Its findings come at a critical time as groundwater will continue to play a central role in meeting future water demand and strengthening drought resilience. Acting on these insights will be essential to enhance public and private sector support for water service provision through stronger regulation, improved planning, increased financing and enhanced service management.

Vincent Casey, WaterAid

The paper is now available online:

With the combined risks of sea level rise, rising temperatures and an increased frequency of extreme weather events, the Philippines is one of the countries most at risk from the effects of climate change. In an effort to mitigate this threat, researchers from BGS, Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines will work together to deliver the results of hydrological research for the benefit of Filipino stakeholders.

Funded by the UK Department for Science Innovation and Technology International Science Partnerships Fund in partnership with the British Council, the ‘Philippine Hydro Hub’ project will build a new collaborative community of UK and Filipino academics to advance research on the hydrology of the Philippines. It will also ensure that research outputs can be used by stakeholders outside of the academic community by creating an open access, easy-to-use platform. The platform will provide access to the latest hydrological datasets, tools and models such as the .

Climate change affects both the natural ecosystem and agricultural productivity and large urban centres in the Philippines lie in coastal regions, where the population is particularly vulnerable to typhoons and sea-level rise. Through the hydro hub, the project aims to provide government agencies and local government units with essential data and improved tools for assessing the effects of climate change on surface and groundwater, enabling more effective use of resources and development of adaptation strategies.

As flood and drought events affect multiple sectors, there is the potential for wide-ranging benefits, including:

• water resource management
• agriculture
• economic development
• energy
• environment and natural resources
• housing and urban development
• tourism
• transportation and other infrastructure

Access to this essential data will support a sustainable water future for the Philippines and, ultimately, has the potential to save lives as the effects of extreme weather events increase.

Ensuring that hydrological research can benefit society in countries like the Philippines, where climate change affects the future water resources, is very important. This new partnership will advance hydrological science in the Philippines and provide new tools to regulators and managers to make decisions for a sustainable and resilient water future.

I am very excited to continue our collaboration with Ateneo de Manila University and establish a new collaboration with the University of the Philippines. This will allow us to shape past and future research activities in the Philippines to useful and usable products and tools for Filipino stakeholders.

Dr Johanna Scheidegger, project leader, BGS.

The project focuses on bridging the gap between professional water resource researchers and managers, and agencies with direct links to local communities. It will also build capacity and provide innovation opportunities within multiple sectors.

In the recent release of the 2024 World Risk Report, the Philippines continued to rank first as the most-at-risk country due to its ‘exposure to natural hazards, the susceptibility of the population and the coping and adaptive capacities of societies’.

As a Filipino and as an environmental scientist, I look forward to the Philippine Hydro Hub to build the capacity of Filipinos not only to conduct research on hydrology but to develop innovative solutions to manage our water resources and to develop our resilience to climate change as a Nation and as a society.

This renewed partnership with BGS and the new partnership with the University of the Philippines will indeed bridge the gap in understanding this crucial resource that has become both a blessing and a bane to the Philippines.

Maria Aileen Leah G Guzman, PhD, Department of Environmental Science, School of Science and Engineering, Ateneo de Manila University.

As presented in the National Water Quality Status Report (2014 to 2019) demand for sustainable water resources is on the rise throughout the country. Groundwater development is outpacing other sources nationwide as local government units search for sustainable sources to meet this growing demand.

As a hydrogeologist, I welcome this opportunity to support the Philippine Hydro Hub and build the capacity of Filipinos to advance hydrogeologic research and build innovative solutions for determining watershed capacity and improving water resource management to address these challenges and the social condition of equitable water access for all Filipinos.

The new partnership with BGS and Ateneo de Manila University is exciting to build translational research in support of this challenging issue and provide a linkage between academia, government and local stakeholders throughout the Philippines.

Robert Michael DiFilippo, PhD, National Institute of Geological Sciences, College of Science, University of the Philippines.

About the project

This work was supported by a Research Collaborations grant, ID [1203756621], under the . The grant is funded by the UK Department for Science Innovation and Technology in partnership with the British Council.

For more information

For more information, please contact the BGS Press Office (bgspress@bgs.ac.uk) or call 07790 607 010.

Groundwater flooding occurs when the water table rises to meet the ground surface. This hazard often goes unnoticed because it commonly occurs alongside river and surface water flooding, but it can substantially exacerbate the effects of flooding events.
Without dramatic images of burst river banks or breached sea defences, groundwater flooding rarely makes the headlines, yet in England and Wales it is estimated that groundwater flooding accounts for on average £530 million in damage per year. This represents 30 per cent of the total national annual economic loss due to flooding (Allocca et al., 2021).

A significant contributing factor to the high costs associated with groundwater flooding is the effect on underground infrastructure, such as basements and buried assets. Generally, the water table response to rainfall is much slower than rivers. Persistent rainfall over weeks and months can raise groundwater levels to a tipping point, where even a short period of low-intensity rainfall can unexpectedly trigger a flooding event. The mechanics of groundwater flooding also result in flood water lingering for longer than other forms of flooding as the water table slowly recedes, causing an estimated 2.5 times greater damage than those incurred from other flood types (Allocca et al., 2021).

The 51ÁÔÆæ Groundwater Flooding Susceptibility dataset highlights which areas of England, Scotland and Wales are most susceptible to groundwater flooding, based on geological and hydrogeological conditions at a 50 m resolution. Models of groundwater flooding originating from both superficial and bedrock aquifers are combined creating zones of susceptibility which are classified as:

• the potential for groundwater flooding to occur at surface
• the potential for groundwater flooding of property situated below ground level (basements, etc.)
• limited potential for groundwater flooding to occur
  

A complementary dataset providing a measure of confidence in the susceptibility classification (based on the hydrogeological setting) is included, which considers the groundwater flooding mechanism, susceptibility class and locations of previous groundwater flooding. The data is recommended as a screening tool for scoping and planning rather than for site-specific risk assessments.

Feedback from existing data users demonstrates the wide-ranging applications of this data:

• desk-based scoping studies by environmental and engineering consultants
• informing local planning authorities and property developers when compiling local development plans
• informing lead local flood authorities compiling their strategic flood risk assessments
• assessing infrastructure networks and assets, such as rail lines, highways and water treatment facilities, for susceptibility to groundwater flooding
• research by conservation and academic institutes
• informing water companies of areas that may be affected by planned reductions in groundwater abstraction activities
• informing climate reports for Ministry of Defence sites  

Many home insurance providers do not provide cover for the effects of groundwater flooding and ensuring awareness of an area susceptibility to this hazard is an essential component of any property conveyancing report.

A more granular view of groundwater flood risk can be gained by combining this data with other information such as elevation, previous instances of groundwater flooding, rainfall, property type, and land drainage information. A number of 51ÁÔÆæ data resellers have used the BGS Groundwater Flooding Susceptibility dataset alongside some of our other datasets to develop their own flood modelling tools, predicting groundwater flood risk at a finer scale.

Contact

If you would like to discuss how this data can support your organisations groundwater flooding decision making please get in touch with the digital data team (digitaldata@bgs.ac.uk).

About the author

Extreme weather events are projected to become more common in the UK, costing £750 million per year (Bates et al., 2023). A new, £38 million infrastructure project will enhance the UK resilience to floods and droughts and will include open-air laboratories across the UK and a large-scale, live environmental data bank.

The project, titled ‘’ (FDRI), will provide infrastructure to allow aspects of the hydrological cycle in specific locations in England, Scotland and Wales to be tracked. The data produced can be used alongside artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning technology to model present conditions and forecast the impact of extremes.

Improving our ability to analyse UK environmental data with models and AI will:

• improve the prediction of flood and drought risk
• enable the creation of better, more cost-effective infrastructure
• allow more accurate response to water supply demands

Monitoring activities will be coordinated and innovation better directed through the network that the FDRI project will create. It will also create a near real-time data bank with outdoor laboratories in three catchments: the Severn, the Chess (Thames) and the Tweed. This will be achieved by deploying instruments for observing subtle changes in the water environment, such as:

• evaporation
• soil moisture
• weather
• groundwater
• river flow

It will also provide new digital solutions to support data and help build capacity in the hydrological community through training and skills sharing.

We are delighted to be part of this landmark project, which will provide the UK with revolutionary solutions to reduce the impact of floods and droughts.

Each year, dealing with the impact of flooding and droughts costs the UK around £750 million. It is through increased resilience and advanced prediction capabilities that the nation can reduce this cost and better protect at-risk communities.

Alan MacDonald, head of BGS Groundwater.

Funding

The £38 million project has been awarded funding by the 51ÁÔÆæ/Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). NERC and the UK Centre for Hydrology & Ecology will lead the project, with contributions from BGS, Imperial College London and the University of Bristol.

Earth changing climate is increasing the number of extreme floods and droughts, causing environmental, societal and economic damage. This investment will transform the way we can forecast these events by building data and monitoring capability.

NERC is helping to respond to climate challenges with research and innovation investments that will accelerate the green economy and deliver solutions to national priorities.

Prof Louise Heathwaite, executive chair of 51ÁÔÆæ/NERC.

The project will work closely with organisations in the environmental and government sectors, including the Environment Agency, to build modelling and help prepare for severe weather.

Reference

Bates, P D, Savage, J, Wing, O, Quinn, N, Sampson, C, Neal, J, and Smith, A. 2023. . Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 23, 891–908. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-23-891-2023

Notes for editors

51ÁÔÆæ is delighted to announce several new appointments to the BGS Science Advisory Committee (SAC), the body that advises on the development and delivery of BGS public-good science.

The following individuals will serve three-year terms as part of the SAC:

• Ruth Allington, engineering geologist in independent practice, specialising in the design of quarries and mines, and immediate past president of The Geological Society
• Prof Neil Hyatt, chief scientific advisor to Nuclear Waste Services and Aegis Professor of deep time at the University of Bristol
• Prof Jennifer McKinley, professor of geology and mathematical geoscience, Queen University Belfast
  

After having served as an observer for the past year, Prof Carol Frost, currently a member of the BGS Board, has also been appointed to the role of SAC Chair.

The addition of such expertise will be invaluable to our work in guiding BGS efforts to deliver a science strategy that empowers the pursuit of enhanced knowledge of the subsurface and enables effective decision making.

Prof Carol Frost, SAC Chair.

The SAC will continue to advise BGS on how best to focus on the four priority science areas identified in the BGS Strategy 2023 to 2028, ‘Understanding our Earth’:

• maps and models for the 21st century
• a more secure energy transition
• improved water security
• living with geological hazards

Under the terms of the body standard governance framework, the committee has seen a series of departures over the past 12 months. These include:

• Dr Patrick Bermingham, former exploration chief geophysicist, Shell International Exploration and Production
• Prof Stephen de Mora, independent environmental consultant
• Prof Cherry Tweed, MBE, former chief scientific advisor to Nuclear Waste Services

Also stepping down from the SAC is Prof Frances Wall, professor of applied mineralogy at Camborne School of Mines, who has acted as the SAC Chair for the past six years.

It has been an honour to serve alongside such passionate advocates of geoscience and to share in their collective vision for BGS operations over the coming years. Their work in shaping BGS strategy will continue to play a central role in the organisation direction at a time of great demand for essential geological expertise.

Prof Frost and the BGS science leadership team.

Farmers and whisky distillers could both be left increasingly high and dry as new research reveals how climate change is increasingly affecting water availability. In some areas, scientists found that surface water scarcity events, where river levels drop to significantly low levels, could increase dramatically from one every five years to every other year, or even more often. This potentially means there could be more bans on using these waters.

The data shows that April and May and late August into September are expected to become noticeably drier, potentially affecting crop yields and livestock gains.

Use of groundwater could provide a solution to increasing surface water shortages, but more information is needed on where and when such resources could prove a viable option. Summer groundwater levels have already been falling across several parts of the country and areas with low groundwater storage capacity and decreasing groundwater recharge are likely to become increasingly vulnerable to drought.

To inform this work, the 51ÁÔÆæ has developed a new framework to enable better estimation of groundwater resilience in Scotland. It helps to highlight those areas where groundwater is likely to be more, or less, resilient to future climate change.

This research has highlighted the risk of future water scarcity in Scotland and the potentially significant impact this could have on water users. Groundwater could form a key component of adaptation strategies, but more data and research is needed to understand how this can be achieved sustainably and equitably at a catchment scale.

Dr Kirsty Upton, BGS Senior Hydrogeologist.

Other recommendations from the research include:

• using more efficient irrigation methods
• avoiding the introduction of more water-demanding crops
• increasing water harvesting
• better storage of water during wetter months
• increased monitoring to allow for improved coordination of water resource-use across catchments
• a greater role for river catchment partnerships to coordinate use of water resources at landscape scale
• cross-sector coordination to prepare for future water extremes

provision of adaptation advice and funding

We found that, for many, water scarcity is already an increasing issue. At critical times of the year, even short periods of water shortage could lead to vegetable and fruit crop failure.

Some are already taking measures to adapt, particularly in the distilling sector, where technical advances could help reduce their need for water for cooling, but many could be at risk if they don’t take more action.

Our work suggests more information about resources would help them , as would information adaptation strategies they can take, as well as help funding these and collaborating across catchments over resources.

Dr Miriam Glendell, The James Hutton Institute.

The study, which was led by The James Hutton Institute, was commissioned by Scotland Centre of Expertise for Water, which is based at the institute, with partners at Scotland Rural College, the University of Aberdeen and BGS.