Appropriate Technologies Flashcards
Examples of Inappropriate technologies:
- Water and sanitation facilities in Indonesia. Only 30 to 40% still functioning after 4 years.
- Handpumps in Africa. Less than 50% still operational
- Chlorination-disinfection and safe storage project in Kenya
- Latrines in India used as for general storage sheds
- Geo-membrane for a waste stabilisation pond in Bhutan eventually stolen by villagers to use for roofing material
- A large centralised infrastructure sewer system was installed in Bhutan, blockages resulted due to theft of the cast iron manhole covers (solution: replace with concrete covers)
Inappropriate technologies are often characteristed by being:
- Restricted to large urban rather than rural areas
- Large international and centralised projects with high capital costs
- Reliance on treatment technologies that cannot be afforded and maintained by the local community- therefore plagued by a lack of proper operation
- Supply based instead of demand based
- Easily bogged down in bureaucracy and politics
Reasons technologies fail:
Failure to provide ownership of the solution to the beneficiaries
- Overlook long-term sustainability effects
- Lack of attention to social & economic context
- Band-aid work
- Lack of comprehensiveness
- Not asking the right questions
- Development work done by individuals within an elitist manner
- Development work is done by outside huge machines
Definition of Appropriate Technologies (AT)
The broad and diverse set of technologies developed and implemented to facilitate development and to satisfy the needs of the local population.
The use of materials and technology that are culturally, economically and socially suitable to the area in which they are implemented
AT is context and situation specific
Appropriate Technologies are characterised as being:
- low-key, small scale and decentralised
- Involves NGOs
- Development of locally-based systems involves partnering with communities
- Ownership is achieved through beneficiaries participating in the process via contributions
- Are usually demand based rather than supply based
- Support power dynamics that encourages empowerment and prosperity for the poor
Appropriate technologies pass the following socio-economic tests:
- Must be conceptually and physically compatible with the abilities of those responsible for operation and repair
- Spare parts and equipment must be available for maintenance and repair
- Financing the project must be within the means of those bearing the cost
- The technology must be compatible with the physical environment where it will be used
- Is often low-tech and relatively labour intensive
Beneficiaries provide:
- free unskilled labour
- local materials
- cash contributions
Contributing to the ownership of the solution
Why is Point-of-Use (POU) AT for water treatment more effective in preventing diarrhea compared with treating source water?
- POU intervention directly blocks pathways of exposure
- POU provides a barrier to pathogen exposure immediately before consumption
What are the advantages of POU AT: water treatment: sodium hypochlorite
- typically 2 log removal for bacteria and viruses
- has a residual to protect against recontamination
What are the disadvantages of POU AT: water treatment: sodium hypochlorite
- poor for treating turbid water
- poor at killing chlorine resistant pathogens
- often, householder applies incorrect dosage
POU AT technology for water treatment include:
- sodium hypochlorite
- safe water systems (SWS) and chlorine
- PUR Flocculant
- clay pot water filters
- Life Straw personal
- Oral rehydration solution (ORS)
Factors influencing the adoption of a particular POU technology include:
- affordability
- aesthetics and taste preferance
- the ability to manufacture POU technologies locally
