Richard Carter

• Groundwater development using jetted boreholes

  01.01.1985
  

• Small-scale irrigation: The need for thorough feasibility studies

  01.07.1993
  As the popularity of small-scale farmer-managed irrigation schemes grew during the eighties, the development of appropriate feasibility studies did not keep pace.

• Water policy and policy implementation

  01.01.1998
  Even the most brilliant piece of policymaking will fail if implemented badly — and vice versa. The water and sanitation sector cannot afford to get it wrong: but is there the will to come up with realistic objectives that translate into sustainable programmes?

• Not a numbers game — making policy for maximum impact and sustainability

  01.01.1998
  General policy statements about improving access to safe drinking-water are not enough. Objectives must be precise, user-centred and verifiable, with a strong emphasis on 'software'.

• Biological removal of iron from well-handpump water supplies

  01.04.1998
  Groundwater can be easily abstracted and safe to drink — if iron is present, it can also look and taste extremely unpleasant. Filter designs for use with handpumps have been around for a while now — is the latest model more user-friendly?

• Assumptions and realities in water and sanitation programmes

  01.10.1999
  Water supply and sanitation programmes are based on many assumptions. Whilst there is much that is truth, the need to question them has never been stronger.

• Groundwater – potential but not panacea

  01.10.2001
  

• Low cost water well drilling in Africa

  01.10.2001
  A three-year Ugandan project led by Cranfield University has developed technology for shallow well drilling. Even though work still remains to be done before the project is complete, the group has developed cost-effective technology. This article discusses the development, provides guidance for others and introduces the Pounder rig.

• Groundwater in the developing world: problems and solutions

  01.10.2001
  Summary of a one-day conference at the Geological Society of London, Burlington House, Piccadilly, 25th September 2001.

• Iron in handpump water supplies: prevention or cure?

  01.10.2001
  It is unlikely that the consumption of iron-contaminated water will result in health problems, however the taste and colour are putting consumers off this source. In order to ensure consumers do not choose more attractive, yet dangerously contaminated water sources, work is underway to explore the options available for removing the iron. This article addresses the need for iron removal and offers suggestions as to how it may be achieved.

• The Rural Water Supply Network

  01.07.2006
  There is more to improving rural water supplies in Africa than just concentrating on handpumps. The Rural Water Supply Network (RWSN) has broadened its original focus and now has three areas of research and information provision: self-supply, cost-effective boreholes and sustainable handpumps.

• Reducing the costs of borehole drilling in Africa: insights from Ethiopia

  01.07.2006
  Borehole drilling is particularly expensive in Africa. Technical solutions to reduce costs include reducing borehole diameter and inserting a PVC rather than steel casing, but institutional factors such as the development of the private sector for drilling may add to the costs.

• Rapid assessment of groundwater opportunities for displaced and refugee populations

  01.07.2007
  Refugee camps may be more like cities than rural areas in terms of their demand for volumes of drinking water. When conducting a rapid assessment of groundwater, designers should consider how much is needed and how it will be delivered. An integrated approach is required to take into account the needs of pre-existing local populations as well as future operation and maintenance.

• Editorial

  01.01.2008
  

• Editorial

  01.04.2008
  

• Editorial

  01.07.2008
  

• Editorial

  01.10.2008
  

• Editorial

  01.01.2009
  

• Editorial

  01.04.2009
  

• Editorial

  01.07.2009
  

• Editorial

  01.10.2009
  

• Editorial

  01.01.2010
  

• Editorial

  01.04.2010
  

• Editorial

  01.07.2010
  

• Editorial

  01.10.2010
  

• Editorial

  01.01.2011
  

• Editorial

  01.04.2011
  

• Editorial

  01.07.2011
  

• Editorial

  01.10.2011
  

• Interview: Reflections on the world of research

  01.10.2011
  In an interview to celebrate Waterlines' 30th anniversary, Richard Carter and Sandy Cairncross discuss where the important gains facing the WASH sector are; how to increase attention on sanitation; the evidence for good sanitation and water improving health; how close to the home do water points have to be sited; and where would you spend £10 million of research money.

• Editorial

  01.01.2012
  

• Editorial

  01.07.2012
  

• Editorial

  01.10.2012
  

• Editorial: researching ‘how’ rather than ‘why’

  01.01.2013
  

• Editorial: Business as usual will not do - but there are alternatives

  01.04.2013
  

• Editorial: What happens when the pit latrine is full?

  01.07.2013
  

• Editorial: rainwater harvesting

  01.04.2014
  

• Interview with Catarina de Albuquerque, Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

  01.10.2014
  On 28 July 2010, through Resolution 64/292, the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation. Richard Carter asks Special Rapporteur Catarina de Albuquerque about the difference the human right makes, how it will help unserved people, meaningful participation, the role of subsidies, balancing different rights, and the sustainability of services.

• Editorial: No shame in bodily functions

  01.07.2016
  There are some things that individuals, families, societies, nations, and even the world as a whole will not acknowledge, talk about, or countenance. These are the forbidden topics or taboos. According to the dictionary, taboos are matters which are ‘… banned or restricted by social custom’. Why do taboos exist? Because they are too difficult or perhaps too disgusting to discuss – we fear them, we don’t have easy answers for them, and we wish they would go away. We may or may not be able to prevent them happening, but at least we can avoid discussing them. They are real and significant, and we may think we can do nothing about them, so we bury our heads in our hands or in the proverbial sand, and refuse to acknowledge them.

• Obituary: Ton Schouten, a respected colleague and friend

  01.07.2016
  Many if not most readers of this journal will already know of the sad and sudden death of Ton Schouten on 22nd May 2016. Others have made known Ton’s passing to those working in the WASH world, and it is not necessary to repeat here what has been said elsewhere. Ton’s colleagues at IRC in the Netherlands have published an obituary on the organisation’s website, at http://www.ircwash.org/news/memoriam-ton-schouten-1955-2016. Ton was Chair of the Rural Water Supply Network, and RWSN has also made known Ton’s death at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/hygienepromotionforum/efuUbOy6SVg. The Water Integrity Network posted this notification: http://www.waterintegritynetwork.net/2016/05/30/memoriam-ton-schouten-1955-2016/. No doubt others too have reinforced this chorus of shock and loss in their own words.

• Editorial: Doing WASH well – a set of principles for implementing agencies and their evaluators

  01.07.2019
  Many of the readers of this journal work in national and local governments and non-governmental organizations. With financial and in-kind support from communities, from national budget allocations, and from funds provided by external donor agencies, they aim to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services at household and community level, and across entire local government administrative areas.

• Editorial: Healthy planet, healthy people

  01.10.2020
  Mostly this journal places the spotlight on water, waste, and sanitation issues as they affect local households, communities, and individual nations. Naturally this local focus is set within the framework of international goals such as the Sustainable Development Goals and the human rights to water and sanitation. But rarely do we step back and consider the impact, relevance, and imperatives posed by wider global issues.