Why Water Projects Fail – and How Fairaction Is Building the Fix That Lasts

Every year, millions of dollars are spent on rural water projects in Africa, but more than 35–50% of these fail within just 2–5 years due to poor planning, lack of maintenance, and tech mismatch. Boreholes dry up. Pumps break. Communities are left to return to unsafe streams and wells.

But one water charity organization in Africa, Fairaction, is doing things differently. Based in Nigeria, this smart, community-focused water charity is proving that real, long-term water sustainability is possible. Its data-driven and community-owned solutions can deliver real water security where it’s needed most.

In a groundbreaking 2023 study published in Water Policy, Fairaction founder Sam Adeoti and colleagues reviewed 15 global studies and uncovered 265 unique failure factors for rural water projects. These were grouped into six domains:

The takeaway? Water failure is multi-dimensional, and solving it requires more than drilling a borehole.

These findings prove that no single intervention can “fix” water access. If we want truly sustainable water solutions, we need systems built for the long run, locally informed, real-time data, and smart planning.

Using transdisciplinary doctoral research, Adeoti’s team, through Fairaction, developed a practical sustainability framework that addresses the full life cycle of a water project, spanning:

This model is refined through a cycle of piloting, learning, and iteration; constantly improving to solve real-world problems, while tackling all 265 failure drivers, something most water donation organizations overlook.

Mapping efforts spanned over 1,700 rural communities across three Nigerian states, highlighting the shortcomings of state-level poverty data. Precision data revealed who lacks water, why, and how to tailor interventions – from groundwater access to social dynamics, and to local needs.

Examples of such communities are:

These have been found to have deep water needs that weren’t showing up in typical available data. Therefore, sustainable water projects in Nigeria must be shaped by real data, not assumptions. By pinpointing such “hidden water deserts,” Adeoti’s team designed solutions suited not just to the terrain, but also to the cultural and economic realities of each village.

Fairaction’s Smart Water Kiosk Nigeria model is changing the game. These kiosks are tailored to meet the everyday needs of rural communities.

By integrating technology with community training and modest user fees, these kiosks overcome the “install-and-forget” fate of most rural water projects run by typical water donation charities.

A key twist: coordination matters. When NGOs or politicians install free boreholes next to paid kiosks, the kiosks often lose users and fall into disrepair, while the free systems collapse from neglect.

Using a shared Target 6.1 Map, communities, funders, and policymakers can visualize which facilities are working (green), at risk (yellow), or broken (red). This prevents duplication and ensures sustainability, not redundancy.

This isn’t donor fantasy, it is evidence-based policy. Smart kiosks in communities like Abeku, Isale‑Oja, and Alabata have shown sustained performance for years through this partnered approach.

To reach United Nations SDG 6.1: safe, affordable water for all by 2030, we must ditch short-term fixes in favor of smart design, informed by community voice, data insights, and economic viability. That’s where smart water management systems come in. Fairaction is exactly what's building in Nigeria, an effort that global water donation organizations and Australian water charities can learn from and support.

By combining technology, community, and policy, Fairaction’s framework isn’t just breaking cycles; it’s offering a replicable model for delivering resilient water systems across Africa.