Sustainable supply chains for rural water services : linking local procurement of handpumps and spare parts supply

There is a critical need to increase the sustainability of rural water supply services, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. One of the primary reasons for low levels of sustainability is that supply
chains do not deliver spare parts close to customers at an affordable cost. Most of the users of handpumps live in rural areas, where they require access to spare parts through some form of distribution network. Typically, spares are not readily available. This field note outlines why current approaches to supply chain development for spare parts have not worked. It presents a set of solutions to ensure the availability of spare parts for operation and maintenance of rural water systems through integrated supply chains. [authors abstract]