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G. Kofler:
"Sustainability of Water Supply in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa";
Betreuer/in(nen): N. Kreuzinger, P. Yillia; Institut für Wassergüte, Ressourcenmanagement und Abfallwirtschaft, 2010; Abschlussprüfung: 2010.

About half of the population in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa lacks access to safe drinking water. Consequently the population´s healthy development is gravely endangered by water borne diseases, to which young children are extremely vulnerable. The highest under-five-mortality-rate worldwide attests the seriousness of the situation in sub-Saharan Africa and calls for strong commitment. Despite all efforts in the field of water supply many projects fail to function in a sustainable way. Therefore this master thesis aims at contributing to an urgently required investigation into the factors producing sustainable results. The objectives of this work are to present the experience and thoughts concerning sustainability of experts in the field of water supply to the reader and, on the other hand, to develop a demonstrative concept of the interrelation
of necessary elements for achieving sustainability. In this context the author identifies emotions as the foundation on which all other elements can be built up to finally achieve the desired sustainable results. Although emotions are substantial determinants of human interaction and thus of every project, they are underestimated in the scientific discourse. The concept of a sustainability pyramid, presented in this paper, is to visualise the fundamental role of
emotions at a glance and encourage experts and field practitioners to consider, challenge or implement this approach in their water supply projects.

sustainability, water supply, rural sub-Saharan Africa, operation