Improving skills and professionalism in the Rural Water Supply sector is critical to its success. Rural water supply schemes need to be robust, cost effective, accessible, well designed and well built. However, good water projects aren't on their own aren't enough, they need to be part of a broader rural water supply service that is reliable, affordable and accessible to all members of society.

RWSN brings together the know-how and expertise from different water supply technologies and service approaches from around the world. This section draws together some of the key resources that should be of help to those involved in training and education for rural water supply.

The RWSN Secretariat has compiled a list of relevant online and face-to-face trainings of relevance to the rural water sector, mainly in English, with some also in French. You can download it here (last updated in 2019). 

Also take a look at our webinar recordings, which can be useful as learning and teaching tools.

Links from here do not constitute an endorsement from RWSN - please let us know of any broken links

Training Courses/Organisations

University Departments/Courses

Vocational Training Centres

The RWSN Secretariat has compiled a list of relevant online and face-to-face trainings of relevance to the rural water sector, including MOOCs, mainly in English, with some also in French. You can download it here (last updated in 2019). 

EMAS is a Mobile School for Water and Sanitation based in Bolivia, and run by Wolfgang Eloy Buchner. EMAS is also a whole technical and social concept of water and sanitation which includes manual drilling, rain water harvesting, solar water heaters, wind power, hydraulic rams, water treatment, small tanks and sinks, a variety of hand and foot pumps, and ferrocement water storage tanks.

Two of the best known are probably the EMAS Pump, a low cost direct action pump, and EMAS Drilling, a low-cost sludging and percussion method.

EMAS have produced a series of training video available online that show how to make and use the EMAS equipment:

 

The following videos are on the WEDC Youtube Channel and have been produced by the Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC) at Loughborough University, UK

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 1 of 6 – Introduction

 

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 2 of 6 – Suction pumps

 

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 3 of 6 – Direct action pumps

 

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 4a of 6 – The India Mk II

 

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 4b of 6 – The Afridev

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 5 of 6 – Progressive cavity; diaphragm hose; rope and washer pumps

 

Handpumps – An Overview: Part 6 of 6 – Summary

 

 

Operation and Maintenance of Handpumps playlist

The videos below demonstrate how to inspect a Zimbabwe 'B' Bush Pump to ensure that all the components are properly made, assembled and aligned.

by Dr Peter Morgan, Aquamor, ZImbabwe

Bush Pump Inspection - Pump Head Part 1

Bush Pump Inspection - Pump Head Part 2

 

Bush Pump Inspection - Rod Movement

Bush Pump Inspection - Down the hole components

Measuring groundwater level

Courtesy of Dr Peter Morgan, Aquamor

Improving the quality and professionalism of manual drilling is critical to improved rural water supplies in many parts of the world. The videos below are training modules produced by Dr Peter Morgan, Aquamor, ZImbabwe

Mukombe tippy-tap hand washing device

"Alloy Can" tippy tap hand washing device

Courtesy of Dr Peter Morgan, Aquamor

Improving the quality and professionalism of manual drilling is critical to improved rural water supplies in many parts of the world. The videos below are training modules produced by EnterpriseWorks/VITA, Practica Foundation and UNICEF.

Courtesy of Jon Naugle, Relief International - EnterpriseWorks/VITA